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Pioneers  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
and  the  West 


:V>^° 


PIONEER    HISTORY    STORIES 


THIRD     BOOK 


Pioneers  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
and  the  West 


BY 

CHARLES    A.    McMURRY,   Ph.D. 


Weill  ^odt 
THE   MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

LONDON:    MACMILLAN   &  CO.,  Ltd. 
1904 

AH  rights  reserved 


Copyright,  1891,  1894, 
By  CHARLES  McMURRY. 

Copyright,  1904, 
By  the  MACMILLAN  COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.      Published  April,  1904.       Reprinted 
October,  1904. 


Nortoooti  ^rtsa 

J.  S.  Cushinpr  &  Co.  —  Berwick  &  Smith  Co. 

Norwood,  Mass.,  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 

The  stories  of  early  exploration  in  the  Rocky  Mountain 
region  are  spirited  and  interesting.  They  are  of  much 
value  to  children  in  all  jjarts  of  the  country,  and  to  the 
children  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  and  of  the  Pacific  Slope 
they  furnish  the  best  materials  for  early  history  study. 

This  third  volume  of  the  American  History  Stories  is 
designed,  therefore,  as  a  series  of  introductory  pioneer  nar- 
ratives for  the  children.  The  two  preceding  volumes, 
*'  Pioneers  on  Land  and  Sea,"  and  "  Pioneers  of  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley,"  extend  their  view  over  other  parts  of  our 
country  through  a  similar  class  of  biographical  stories. 

The  Special  Method  in  History  gives  in  Chapter  HI  a 
full  discussion  of  the  value  of  these  pioneer  stories,  their 
place  in  the  course  of  study,  and  the  method  of  handling 
them  in  classes,  with  illustrations. 

Several  of  these  stories  are  made  up  almost  wholly  of 
source  materials,  as  those  of  Coronado,  Drake,  Powell,  and 
Park  man,  and  to  a  less  extent  the  others.  Such  original 
descriptions  by  eye-witnesses  are  simple  and  vivid  beyond 
comparison. 

The  pictures  of  the  Royal  Gorge  of  the  Arkansas  and  of 
The  First  House  in  Salt  Lake  City  are  from  photographs 
in  the  Fay  Collection,  of  De  Kalb,  HHnois. 

De  Kalb,  Illinois, 

October  2,  190-3. 


CONTENTS 


CnAPTKE  PAGE 

I.     Lewis  and  Clark  :    Up  the   jNIissouri  River  and  across 

1 


THE  Mountains  to  Oregon 

II.  Fremont's  First  Trip  to  the  Rocky  ]Mountains 

III.  Fremont's  Trip  to  Salt  Lake  and  California 

IV.  Discovery  of  Gold  and  Trip  to  California  in  '49 
Y.  Powell's  Journey  through  the  Grand  Canon 

YI.  Parkman's  Life  in  a  Yillage  of  Sioux  Indians 

YII.  Drake's  Yoyage  and  Yisit  to  California 

YIIL  Coronado's  Exploring  Trip  in  the  Southwest 


40 
60 
94 
114 
165 
201 
225 


VIl 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Lewis  and  Clark  ix  Council  with  the  Indians 

Lewis  in  Indian  Costume  . 

A  Valley  ix  the  Rocky  Mountains 

Yellowstone  Falls  and  Canon 

John  C.  Fremont  .... 

Fort  Laramie        .... 

Koyal  Gorge  of  the  Arkansas 

The  Desert  Vegetation  in  the  Far  West   . 

A  High,  Snow-covered  Pass  in  the  Mountains 

A  Scene  in  the  High  Sierra    . 

Sutter's  Mill 

San  Francisco  in  1817 
An  Emigrant  Train    .... 
The  First  House  in  Salt  Lake  City 
A  Rush  to  the  Diggings    . 

Disaster  Falls 

The  Colorado  Canon  .... 
The  Oregon  Trail       .... 
An  Indian  Encampment 
The  Interior  of  a  Sioux  Lodge 
Indians  hunting  the  Buffalo  . 
Sir  Francis  Drake       .... 


PAGE 

8 

22 

25 

37 

40 

42 

61 

69 

79 

82 

95 

97 

100 

108 

112 

121 

143 

166 

167 

177 

195 

200 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Early  Lnhabitants  of  California 
The  Crowning  of  Drake    . 
An  Indian  Village,  or  Pueblo 
The  Doorway        .... 
A  View  in  the  Colorado  Canon 
The  Supposed  Buffalo 
The  Real  Buffalo 


PACK 

215 
219 
233 
236 
242 
244 
247 


MAPS 


Relief  Map  of  the  United  States 


Frontispiece 


PAGE 

3 


The  Routes  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Expedition 

Western  United  States  at  Time  of  Fremont's  Explorations  41 

Relief  Map  of  "Western  States 115 

Drake's  Voyage  around  the  World 204 

Spanish  Explorations  in  the  Southwest 227 


PIO^^EERS   OF  THE  WEST 


CHAPTER   I 

LEWIS  AND  CLARK:   UP  THE  MISSOURI   RIVER  AND  ACROSS 
THE   MOUNTAINS   TO   OREGON  i 

Lewis  and  Clark  were  two  young  men  from  Virginia, 
who  had  been  appointed  by  Jefferson,  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  to  make  the  first  journey  up  tlie  Missouri 
River  to  its  sources  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  then 
to  find  a  way  across  these  mountains  to  the  rivers  flowing 
into  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Lewis  was  the  private  secretary 
of  President  Jefferson  and  Clark  w^as  a  brother  of  George 
Rogers  Clark,  who  captured  Vincennes.^ 

Until  1803  the  United  States  had  owned  no  land  west 
of  the  Mississippi  and  even  the  American  traders  were 
not  allowed  to  enter  this  great  region.  The  French 
owned  it  and  had  called  it  Louisiana,  and  their  fur 
traders  were  accustomed  to  pass  up  the  river  in  boats, 
trade  with  the  Indians,  and  return,  laden  with  peltries,  to 
St.  Louis  or  oth^r  French  villages  on  the  Mississippi.    But 

1  Authorities:  Journal  of  the  Trip;  Drake's  "  The  Making  of  the  Great 
West." 


2  PIONEERS   OF   THE   WEST 

in    1803    Louisiana   was   sold    to   the   United    States  by 
Napoleon,  the  French  ruler,  and  Lewis  and  Clark  were 
sent  by  Jefferson  to  explore  it  and  to  make  a    full  re- 
port  to    the    government.     Perhaps    they  would   find    a 
good    route    of   travel    from    St.  Louis   to   the  Coliunbia 
River  and  the    Pacific    Ocean.     They  were   to  visit   the 
Indian  tribes  along  the  river  and  tell  them  of  the  change 
of   ownership.     It  was  not   known  whether  the  Indians 
would   be  friendly  or   hostile  or  what    ditficulties  would 
meet   the    explorers    on    the    voyage    up    the   swift   cur- 
rent of   the  Missouri.      They  were   also  to   observe   the 
animals,  trees,  and   plants,  the   soil  and  climate,  with  a 
view  to  futm-e  settlement.     The    government  was  ready 
to  provide  them  well  with  boats,  provisions,  and   arms, 
besides  presents  for  the  Indians.     "  A  keel-boat  fifty-five 
feet  long,  and  drawing  three  feet  of  water,  carrying  one 
large,  square   sail,  and    twenty-one    oars,"  was   budt  for 
them  at  Pittsburg.     "  A  half-deck  at  the  bow  and  stern 
formed  forecastle  and  cabin,  the  middle  being  left  open 
for  the  rowers."     The  officers  occupied  one  end  and  the 
men    the    other,    for    sleeping    purposes.      The    explorers 
had  also  two  or   three  smaller  boats,  propelled  by  oars. 
Lewis  and  Clark  selected  twenty-six  men  for  the  jour- 
ney.     There   were    nine   Kentuckians,    fourteen   United 
States  soldiers,  two  Canadian  Frenchmen,  and  one  negro, 
a  body-servant  of  one  of   the   leaders.     The    boats  were 


LEWIS   AND   CLARK  6 

well  loaded  with  provisions,  such  as  coffee,  sugar,  crack- 
ers, and  dried  meat,  goods  and  presents  for  trading  with 
the  Indians,  and  clothing,  tools,  and  instruments  for  the 
long  and  difficult  journey.  Even  some  horses  were  taken 
upon  the  larger  boat  and  proved  of  much  service.     In  the 


aORUAI  i   CO.,   N.Y. 


The  Routes  of  the  Lewis  and  Clark  Expedition 


fall  of  1803  the  men  and  the  deeply  laden  boats  descended 
the  Ohio  and  passed  up  the  Mississippi,  landing  opposite 
the  little  French  village  of  St.  Louis.  Here  they  waited 
for  the  spring,  collecting  information    from   the   French 


4  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

traders  about  the  river  and  the  Indians  and  making  still 
further  preparations  for  the  voyage. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  1804,  the  explorers  left  Wood 
River,  just  below  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri.  There  were 
(including  men  enlisted  at  St.  Louis)  forty-two  men  in 
one  large  bateau  and  in  two  smaller  boats.  On  the  first 
night  they  encamped  on  the  bank  of  the  Missouri  and 
felt  for  the  first  time  that  they  were  fully  embarked  upon 
their  long  and  dangerous  voyage.  But  the  men  were  all 
volunteers,  who  had  promised  to  explore  and  report  to 
the  government  upon  this  newly  purchased  country,  and 
none  were  disposed  to  draw  back.  They  advanced  slowly 
up  the  rapid  stream,  often  striking  the  drifting  logs 
which  were  carried  down  by  the  muddy  current.  On  the 
28th  of  May  all  the  provisions  and  goods  were  put 
out  from  the  boat  to  air  and  dry,  and  some  of  the  men 
went  out  to  hunt,  bringing  home  a  deer.  Two  days 
before  this  two  of  the  men  were  sent  out  with  horses 
by  land,  to  explore  the  country  back  from  the  river  and 
then  to  meet  the  boats  again  farther  up  the  stream.  On 
June  1  they  returned  to  camp  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Osage  River,  saying  that  the  land  they  had  passed  through 
was  the  best  they  had  ever  seen.  The  timber  was  good, 
consisting  of  oak,  ash,  hickory,  and  black  walnut.  The 
Osage  Indians,  who  lived  about  two  hundred  miles  up 
this  river,  were  of  large  size  and  very  warlilve.     For  the 


LEWIS   AND   CLARK  5 

sake  of  security  the  arms  and  ammunition  of  the  men 
were  inspected  and  found  to  be  in  good  condition.  The 
hunters  were  sent  out  to  bring  in  game  for  the  whole 
party.  On  June  4  they  returned  with  seven  deer. 
The  next  day,  while  rowing  slowly  up  the  stream,  the 
voyagers  met  two  Frenchmen  in  two  canoes  loaded  with 
peltries,  which  they  had  traded  from  the  Indians  farther 
up  the  river.  Three  days  later  they  met  four  French 
canoes  full  of  furs  and  skins,  which  the  traders  were 
accustomed  to  bring  to  St.  Louis  to  sell. 

On  the  9th  of  June  the  boats  passed  through  a  nar- 
row part  of  the  river,  where  its  current  was  only  three 
hundred  yards  wide,  very  swift  and  difficult  to  stem. 
On  one  side  was  a  level  country,  called  by  the  Indians 
the  Prairie  of  Arrows.  In  trying  to  pass  round  a  raft 
of  driftwood,  in  this  part  of  the  river,  the  stern  of  the 
large  boat  got  fast  and  the  prow  was  swung  round  by 
the  current  till  the  boat  was  in  great  danger  of  upsetting. 
The  next  day  the  wind  blew  so  hard  from  the  north 
that  the  men  could  not  propel  the  boat  against  it  and 
all  were  compelled  to  encamp  upon  the  prairie.  Setting 
out  early  the  next  morning,  they  went  on  without  halt 
till  five  o'clock,  when  they  were  met  by  five  canoes  of 
Frenchmen,  loaded  with  furs  and  peltries  which  had  been 
bought  from  the  Sioux  nation  of  Indians.  Stopping 
to   talk   with   these  traders,  they  stayed  with   them   the 


6  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

whole  night  and  learned  much  about  tlie  river  and  the 
tribes  above.  They  persuaded  one  of  the  Frenchmen,  an 
old  man  who  could  speak  the  languages  of  the  different 
Indian  nations,  to  join  them  as  their  interpreter. 

Not  only  was  the  constant  labor  of  rowing  against 
the  swift  current  of  the  river  a  great  hardship,  but  the 
oars  became  worn  out  and  broken.  For  some  days  the 
party  had  been  on  the  lookout  for  trees  suitable  for  mak- 
ing oars.  Having  found  such  a  grove,  they  landed  and 
the  carpenters  set  to  work  to  refit  all  the  boats  with  oars. 
While  they  were  at  this  work  the  hunters  were  scouring 
the  country  for  game.  The  largest  animal  they  brought 
in  was  a  bear  and  from  this  time  on  they  frequently 
returned  with  bear's  meat  for  the  camp.  A  few  days 
later,  the  hunters  having  returned  with  two  deer  and 
a  bear,  the  men  halted,  pitched  camji  upon  the  bank 
on  a  pleasant,  sunny  day,  and  jerked  the  meat ;  that  is, 
cut  it  into  small  pieces,  or  strips,  and  dried  it  in  the 
sun.  To  their  surprise,  the  hunters  brought  in  also  a 
fine,  strong  horse,  which  they  found  grazing  on  the 
meadows,  lost  probably  by  some  previous  party.  By 
constantly  sending  out  the  hunters,  it  was  possible,  not 
only  to  supply  the  camp  with  fresh  meat,  but  even  to 
lay  in  a  stock  for  future  use. 

On  the  21st  of  June  the  current  became  so  swift  that 
the   oarsmen  could   not  force  the  boats  aojainst  it.      In 


LEWIS    AND   CLARK  7 

order  to  meet  this  difficulty  a  tow-rope  was  fastened 
to  the  boat  and  then  grasped  by  the  men  on  shore ;  in 
this  way  the  boat  was  dragged  up  for  a  mile  till  past 
the  rapids.  Soon  after,  in  passing  a  sand-bar,  the  tow- 
rope  broke  and  the  large  boat  almost  stranded.  The 
mast  and  sail  had  proved  of  great  advantage  and  in 
good  weather  and  water  the  oars  had  not  been  needed. 
But  the  wind  grew  so  strong  that  the  mast  was  snapped 
off  and  it  was  some  weeks  before  the  explorers  found 
time  and  means  to  repair  it.  About  the  1st  of  July 
they  pitched  their  tents  for  two  days  opposite  the  mouth 
of  the  Kansas  River.  Exploring  parties  were  sent  out 
to  examine  the  river  and  to  meet  any  Indian  tribes, 
while  the  hunters  searched  for  fresh  game.  Four  deer 
and  a  wolf  were  killed  and  one  young  wolf  was  taken 
alive.  They  were  surprised  one  day  by  catching  a  large 
wood  rat,  different  from  any  other  animal  they  had  seen. 
About  this  time  they  began  also  to  catch  and  bring  in 
beaver. 

On  the  22d  of  July  the  party  camped  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Platte  River,  Avhence  the  hunters  were  again  sent  out 
for  bear,  deer,  and  beaver.  Six  men  were  also  sent  up 
the  river  to  inform  the  Indians  that  the  United  States 
had  purchased  all  this  region,  and  that  the  Indians  in 
the  future  were  to  respect  their  Great  Father  at  Wash- 
inonton  instead  of  the  French  king;.     Presents  were  also 


8 


PIONEERS    OP    THE   WEST 


sent  to  the  Indians  and  their  chiefs  were  invited  to  meet 
Lewis  and  Clark  in  council  Those  who  had  remained 
in  camp  at  the  mouth  of  the  Platte  were  busy  bringing 
in  game,  drying  meat,  arranging  stores  and  provisions, 
airing  the  goods,  and  making  new  oars. 

While  still   proceeding  up  the   river,   messengers  were 
sent  to  the  Indian  tribes  inviting  them  to  meet  the  party 


Lewis  and  Clark  in  Council  with  the  Indians     (From  an  old  print.) 

on  the  meadows  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs  across  from  the 
present  site  of  Omaha.  Here  Lewis  and  Clark  pitched 
their  camp  and  some  of  the  Indian  chiefs  came  to  the 
council  and  received  presents.  They  seemed  to  be  pleased 
with  the  change  in  government.  The  peace-pipe  was 
smoked  and  the  Indians  agreed  to  remain  friendly  to  the 
party  of  white  men  as  they  travelled  up  the  river.     This, 


LEWIS    AND   CLARK 


the  first  great  council  with  the  Indians  of  the  plains,  was 
held  near  the  present  site  of  Council  Bluffs. 

Having  parted  in  friendship  from  the  Indians,  the  ex- 
plorers again  entered  their  boats  and  pushed  northward. 
The  valley  of  the  Missouri  contained  groves  of  cotton- 
wood  and  other  hardwood  trees,  but  when  the  hunting 
parties  had  climbed  up  the  bluffs  and  looked  out  over 
the  plains,  the  latter  were  seen  to  be  mostly  treeless  and 
grassy.  Great  herds  of  buffaloes  began  to  appear.  Scout- 
ing and  hunting  parties  were  constantly  sent  out  to  get 
commanding  views  of  the  country.  One  of  the  men 
was  taken  sick,  and,  although  all  that  Avas  possible  was 
done  to  relieve  him,  he  died  after  a  few  days  and  was 
buried  on  a  bluff'  overlooking  the  valley. 

The  explorers  were  entering  the  country  now  known  as 
Dakota  and  began  to  meet  again  tribes  of  Indians,  who 
did  not  appear  so  friendly  as  those  farther  to  the  south. 
Councils  were  held  and  presents  were  given  but  the 
savages,  who  were  the  Sioux  of  the  prairies,  did  not 
seem  to  be  satisfied.  They  were  invited,  however,  to 
visit  the  boats  and  were  kindly  treated.  Once,  after 
holding  a  council  with  them,  Lewis  and  Clark  were 
preparing  to  reembark,  when  the  Indians  seized  the  cable 
and  refused  to  permit  them  to  launch  out  into  the  stream. 
Thinking  that  the  Indians  had  evil  designs,  the  leaders 
were  on  the  point  of  giving  the  word  to  fire  upon  them, 


10  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

when  the  savages  let  go  and  the  boat  drifted  out  into  the 
current.  They  said,  by  way  of  excuse,  that  they  only 
wanted  to  trade  longer  with  the  white  men.  As  the  boats 
continued  northward,  parties  of  Indians  followed  along 
the  shore  shouting  to  them  to  land  again,  as  there  were 
other  tribes  coming  to  meet  the  white  men.  But  the 
explorers  thought  it  safer  to  keep  to  the  middle  of  the 
stream  to  avoid  further  contact  with  the  savages.  Au- 
tumn had  now  come,  the  trees  were  bright  with  tinted 
leaves,  and  the  wild-fowl  w^ere  flying  southward.  West- 
ward la}^  the  country  now  known  as  the  Black  Hills, 
toward  which  herds  of  deer  and  antelope  were  return- 
ing before  the  winter  set  in. 

As  the  cold  nights  came  on  and  the  waters  of  the  river 
froze,  the  voyagers  began  to  think  of  finding  winter  quarters 
before  the  deep  snows  and  the  extreme  cold  should  begin. 
They  had  reached  the  land  of  the  Mandans  and  decided 
to  seek  for  some  place  upon  the  river,  where  there  was 
plenty  of  wood  for  fuel  and  buildings.  After  searching 
several  days  along  the  stream,  they  decided  to  return 
down  the  river  a  few  miles  and  to  pitch  their  winter  camp 
upon  a  wooded  island.  Having  reached  this  spot,  they 
felled  trees,  and  built  a  stockade  and  log  huts  for  shelter 
during  the  winter.  The  Mandans  proved  friendly  and 
helped  them  in  building  the  cabins.  Presents  were  ex- 
changed with  the  Indians  and  the  whites  w^ere  attended 


LEWIS    AND    CLARK  11 

upon  their  hunting-parties  by  the  friendly  natives.  These 
Indians  were  accustomed  to  use  round,  tub-hl^e  boats, 
which  were  made  of  buffalo  hides  patched  together. 
After  the  river  had  frozen  over  and  the  snows  had  fallen, 
they  could  travel  up  and  down  the  valley  or  across  the 
river  on  snow-shoes.  During  the  long  winter  evenings, 
before  the  blazing  fires  the  explorers  heard  curious 
traditions  from  the  Indians.  The  following  is  said  to 
be  one  of  their  legends :  — 

"  The  Mandans  believe  that  the  whole  tribe  once  lived 
underground  near  a  wide,  dark  lake.  Above,  on  the 
earth,  grew  a  grapevine  which  sent  its  roots  deep  into  the 
ground  and  gave  the  people  below  their  first  glimpse  of 
light.  Some  of  the  tribe,  more  adventurous  than  the  rest, 
climbed  the  grapevine  to  the  world  above,  and  returned, 
bringing  clusters  of  purple  grapes.  This  wonderful  deed 
so  excited  the  admiration  of  the  dwellers  by  the  lake  that 
they  determined  to  climb  the  vine,  and  seek  new  homes 
above  ground.  And  this  would  have  been  accomplished 
had  not  the  vine  broken  under  the  weight  of  one  very  fat 
old  lady,  who  tumbled  backward,  taking  half  the  people 
with  her.  The  remainder  reached  the  light  safely  and  lived 
very  contentedly  above  ground,  but  when  they  died,  they 
expected  to  return  again  to  the  lake  and  dwell  there  forever." 

The  voyagers  learned  also  from  the  Indians,  that 
"after   many  days'  journey  toward  the  setting  sun,  the 


12  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

white  man  would  come  to  a  gorge,  wondrous  deep  and 
wild,  where  the  whole  river  plunged  foaming  down  with 
thunderous  roar.  They  even  spoke  with  veneration  of 
the  solitary  eagle  which  had  built  her  nest  in  a  dead 
Cottonwood  among  the  mists  of  the  cataract." 

The  explorers,  in  their  island  camp,  were  sixteen 
hundred  miles  from  the  Mississippi  at  St.  Louis.  They 
had  already  met  with  much  labor  and  difficulty.  But  the 
remainder  of  the  voyage  would  be  still  more  laborious. 
During  the  winter  months  they  were  collecting  informa- 
tion for  their  future  journey,  mending  then*  clothing  and 
boots,  and  laying  in  stores  of  provisions.  When  the  ice 
began  to  break  up  in  the  spring,  the  great  floes  would 
sometimes  bring  down  a  buffalo  or  other  animal,  which 
the  hunters  could  easily  slay. 

Early  in  the  spring  the  party  was  ready  to  continue 
the  journey.  The  weaker  men  were  sent  back  down  the 
river,  while  the  more  robust  and  hearty  set  out  in  high 
spirits  to  meet  the  unknown  dangers.  But  it  was  now 
much  more  difficult  to  force  their  way  against  the  current. 
Shoals  and  rapids  were  frequent.  The  tow-lines  had  to 
be  used  in  such  places,  or  long  poles,  by  means  of  which 
the  boats  were  guided. 

The  mouth  of  the  Yellowstone  was  passed  and  on  the 
26th  of  May  the  dim  outline  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
came  into  view,  extending  from  north  to  south.      The 


LEWIS    AND   CLARK  13 

summits,  white  with  snow,  stretched  out  like  a  long,  low 
line  of  white  clouds  along  the  western  sky.  Still  the 
hunting-parties  were  daily  sent  out  to  bring  in  fresh 
supplies  of  venison  and  buffalo  meat,  and  around  the 
blazing  logs  the  stories  of  each  day's  adventure  were 
related.  "  On  the  thirteenth  day  of  June,  while  scouting 
in  advance  of  his  party,  Captain  Lewis  saw,  in  the  dis- 
tance, a  thin,  cloudlike  mist  rising  up  out  of  the  plain. 
To  him  it  was  like  the  guiding  column  which  led  the 
Israelites  in  the  desert.  Not  doubting  that  it  was  the 
great  fall  which  the  Mandans  had  told  him  about,  and 
of  which  he  was  in  search.  Captain  Lewis  hastened 
toward  it.  He  soon  heard  its  roar  distinctly,  and  in  a 
few"  hours  more  stood  on  the  brink  of  the  cataract  itself. 
The  Indians  had  told  him  trulv.  Not  even  the  eao-le's 
nest  was  wanting  to  make  their  description  complete. 
He  was  the  first  wdiite  man  w^ho  had  stood  there,  and  he 
calls  it  a  sublime  sight.  Thirteen  miles  of  cascades  and 
rapids!  At  headlong  speed  the  Missouri  rushes  down 
a  rocky  gorge,  through  which  it  has  torn  its  wa}^,  now 
leaping  over  a  precipice,  now  lost  to  sight  in  the  depths 
of  the  cailon,  a  thousand  feet  below  the  plain,  or  again, 
as  with  recovered  breath,  breaking  away  from  these  dark 
gulfs  into  the  light  of  day  and  bounding  on  again.  No 
wonder  that  the  discoverer  stood  forgetful  of  all  else  but 
this  wondrous  work  of  Nature." 


14  PIONEERS   OF   THE   WEST 

The  boats  were  brought  to  a  standstill  at  the  foot  of 
the  series  of  falls  and  rapids.  It  was  eighteen  miles  over 
a  very  rough  country  to  smooth  water  above  the  falls, 
but  it  was  decided  to  carry  the  boats  and  supplies  around 
the  falls.  All  the  horses  with  which  the  party  had  started 
out  from  St.  Louis  had  long  since  perished.  Wheels  were 
made,  also  a  sort  of  wagon,  by  means  of  which  the  men 
dragged  the  boats  and  supplies  overland.  It  took  a  good 
part  of  a  month  to  get  around  the  rapids,  and  then  they 
found  that  the  boats  were  not  suited  to  the  rough,  nar- 
row, and  rocky  stream  above  the  falls.  From  the  timber 
standing  by  the  river  the  men  made  new  boats  by  hollow- 
ing out  the  trunks  of  large  trees.  These  dug-outs  were 
not  so  easily  dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks.  Proceeding 
in  these  boats,  they  came  to  the  place  where  the  river 
breaks  its  way  through  the  foot-hills,  or  lower  ranges. 
A  deep,  winding  canon,  five  miles  long  and  in  places  a 
thousand  feet  deep,  has  been  worn  down  into  the  rocks 
by  the  action  of  the  water  during  past  ages.  Through 
this  deep  and  gloomy  passage,  called  by  them  "  The  Gate 
of  the  Mountains,"  they  reached  the  U23per  course  of  the 
river.  They  had  passed  near  the  present  site  of  Helena 
and  followed  up  tlie  northern  branch  of  the  river,  named 
by  them  the  Jefferson. 

Having  come  to  the  head  of  boat  navigation,  they 
stood  at  the  foot  of  the  main  ridge  of  tlie  Rocky  Moun- 


LEWIS   AND   CLAKK  15 

tains.  But  they  also  stood  at  the  beginning  of  their 
greatest  difficulties.  How  to  get  over  this  rugged,  rocky 
wall  was  a  problem  still  unsolved.  Scouts  were  sent  out 
to  search  for  Indian  guides,  and  horses  with  which  to 
carry  their  baggage  across  the  range.  But  they  found 
neither  Indians  nor  horses  and  the  trails  leading  up  into 
the  heights  were  lost  sight  of.  It  began  to  appear  as  if 
their  forward  journey  was  at  an  end,  for  a  march  across 
lofty  and  unknown  mountains,  without  guides,  is  a  most 
dangerous  undertaking. 

On  August  9  Captain  Lewis  took  three  men  and  set 
out  ahead  of  the  main  body  to  find  Indians  and  a  route 
across  the  mountains.  They  followed  the  course  of  the 
river  for  two  days,  when  they  were  delighted  to  see  an 
Indian  approaching  them  two  miles  away  on  horseback. 
Examining  him  with  his  field-glass,  Lewis  was  sure  that 
he  was  a  Shoshone,  and  wished  much  to  secure  the  friend- 
ship and  aid  of  this  tribe.  When  they  were  within  a 
mile  of  each  other,  the  Indian  suddenly  stopped.  Cap- 
tain Lewis  did  the  same,  took  a  blanket  from  his  knap- 
sack and,  holding  it  by  two  corners,  threw  it  above  his 
head  and  spread  it  upon  the  ground  in  sign  of  friendship. 
He  then  took  from  his  pack  some  beads,  a  looking-glass, 
and  some  trinkets,  aud  leaving  his  gun,  advanced  toward 
the  Indian.  He  advanced  to  within  a  hundred  paces, 
when  the  Indian  leaped  upon  his  horse  and  disappeared 


16  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

among  the  trees.  They  followed  the  tracks  of  his  horse 
but  were  not  able  to  overtake  him. 

As  they  climbed  higher  among  the  mountains,  they 
reached  a  small  gap  formed  by  the  high  mountains  which 
recede  on  each  side,  leaving  room  for  the  Indian  road. 
Here  they  had  reached  the  remotest  sources  of  the  Mis- 
souri River,  never  before  seen  by  white  men,  and  as  they 
quenched  their  thirst  at  the  cool  spring  they  felt  rewarded 
for  all  their  labors. 

Pursuing  the  Indian  road  through  the  hills,  Lewis 
and  his  companions  arrived  at  the  top  of  a  ridge  from 
which  they  saw,  to  the  west,  high  mountains  covered 
with  snow.  They  stood  on  the  dividing  line  between 
the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific.  Following  a  steep  slope 
down  the  western  side,  they  came  to  a  creek  of  clear 
cold  water  flowing  westward.  Here  they  found  brush 
and  dry  fuel  and  camped.  Having  killed  nothing 
during  the  day,  they  ate  their  last  piece  of  pork  and 
hoped  to  find  something  farther  on  to  mix  with  a 
little  flour  and  parched  meal  they  had  left.  Having 
reached  a  valley,  they  followed  it  downward,  hoping  to 
meet  Indians.  Finally,  seeing  a  man  and  two  women 
in  the  distance,  Lewis  made  signs  of  friendship  and  ad- 
vanced. But  waiting  till  he  came  nearer,  they  ran  off 
swiftly  and  disappeared.  Pushing  on,  the  white  men 
came    suddenly   to   a   party  of   women   who,   not   having 


LEWIS    AND    CLARK  17 

time  to  run  away,  bowed  their  heads  for  the  fatal  stroke, 
expecting  to  be  slain ;  but  Lewis  treated  them  kindly, 
gave  them  presents,  and  asked  to  be  led  to  their  chiefs. 
He  also  painted  their  cheeks  with  vermilion,  in  proof  of 
friendship.  In  this  way  they  marched  two  miles  and 
came  to  a  troop  of  nearly  sixty  warriors,  mounted  on 
excellent  horses  and  riding  at  full  speed  toward  them. 
As  they  came  up  Lewis  put  down  his  gun  and  went  with 
a  flag  about  fifty  paces  in  advance.  The  chief,  witli  two 
men,  spoke  to  the  women,  who  told  them  these  were  white 
men  and  showed  the  presents. 

The  three  Indians  at  once  leaped  from  their  horses, 
came  up  to  Captain  Lewis,  and  embraced  him  with  great 
cordiality,  putting  their  left  arms  around  his  right  shoulder 
and  clasping  his  back,  applying  at  the  same  time  their 
left  cheeks  to  his  and  frequently  calling  out,  "  Ah  hie ! 
Ah  hie!"  —  "I  am  much  pleased!  I  am  much  pleased!" 
The  whole  body  of  warriors  now  came  forward  and  our 
men  received  the  caresses  and  no  small  share  of  the 
grease  and  paint,  of  their  new  friends. 

After  this  Captain  Lewis  lighted  a  pipe  and  handed  it 
to  the  Indians,  who  w^ere  now  seated  in  a  circle.  They 
pulled  off  their  moccasins  in  proof  of  their  sincere  friend- 
ship, indicating  that  they  wish  to  go  barefoot  among 
thorns  and  stones  if  they  do  not  prove  faithful  to  their 
words.     After  this  ceremonv  all  moved  on  to  the  Indian 


18  PIONEERS   OP   THE   WEST 

camp,  which  lay  in  a  fine  meadow  by  the  bank  of  the 
river.  Here  they  were  introduced  to  a  leathern  lodge 
which  the  young  men  had  prepared  for  them.  The  grass 
was  pulled  up  in  a  circle  about  two  feet  in  diameter  and 
a  fire  built  upon  it.  The  pipe  was  then  presented  by  the 
chief,  the  warriors  pulled  off  their  moccasins  and  the 
whites  were  asked  to  do  likewise. 

The  smoking  being  completed,  Captain  Lewis  explained 
the  purpose  of  his  coming  and  the  women  and  children 
gathered  about  to  view  the  strangers.  Lewis  distributed 
the  remainder  of  his  gifts  and  trinkets  and  then  told  the 
chief  that  he  and  his  men  had  tasted  no  food  since  the 
night  before.  The  Indians  had  nothing  but  some  berries 
and  some  cake  made  of  service-berries  and  choke-cherries, 
dried  in  the  sun.  On  these  Lewis  made  such  a  meal  as 
he  could. 

Close  by  was  a  rapid  river,  forty  yards  wide,  which 
the  chief  said  soon  joined  a  larger  stream.  There  was 
also  a  great  number  of  horses  feeding  near,  which 
Lewis  hoped  to  secure  for  getting  his  party  across  the 
mountains. 

Captain  Lewis  now  sent  out  his  men  to  hunt  for  ante- 
lope and  the  Indians  also  went  to  hunt,  but  all  returned 
without  game. 

Having  now  made  friends  with  the  chief,  Lewis  ex- 
plained   his    need    of    getting   thirty   horses  to    assist  in 


LEWIS   AND   CLARK  19 

bringing  his  large  party  across  the  mountains.     The  chief 
promised  to  persuade  his  warriors  to  supply  them. 

Captain  Lewis  rose  early  the  next  morning,  and  hav- 
ing eaten  nothing  except  his  scanty  meal  of  flour  and 
berries,  was  extremely  hungry.  He  found  that  his  whole 
stock  of  provisions  was  two  pounds  of  flour.  This  was 
divided  into  two  parts  and  half  of  it  boiled  with  ber- 
ries into  a  sort  of  pudding.  After  presenting  a  large 
share  of  it  to  the  chief,  he  and  his  three  men  breakfasted 
on  the  remainder.  The  chief  was  delighted  with  this 
new  dish ;  he  took  a  little  of  the  flour  in  his  hand, 
tasted,  and  examined  it  closely,  asking  whether  it  was 
made  of  roots.  Lewis  explained  the  process  of  making 
the  flour,  and  the  chief  said  it  was  the  best  thing  he  had 
tasted  for  a  long  time. 

Lewis  now  hastened  to  be  off  with  horses  on  his 
return  trip,  but  discovered  that  the  Indians  were  sus- 
picious of  his  good  intentions.  He  asked  the  chief 
about  this,  who  replied  that  the  Indians  feared  that  the 
whites  were  leading  them  into  an  ambush.  Then  Lewis 
grew  serious  and  said  the  whites  did  not  lie  and  de- 
ceive, that  a  large  party  of  traders,  under  a  white 
chief,  was  just  across  the  range  waiting  to  trade  with 
the  Indians,  and  that  if  they  did  not  welcome  them, 
another  tribe  would  do  so.  Then  he  asked  the  Indians 
whether  they  were  afraid,  whether  they  were  not  brave 


20  PIONEERS   OF   THE    WEST 

enough  to  go  to  see  and  find  out  for  themselves.  This 
appeal  to  their  pride  and  bravery  aroused  the  Indians 
and  the  chief  and  six  or  eight  warriors  on  horseback 
started  out  with  Lewis.  They  were  later  joined  by  a 
dozen  more  Indians  and  later  still  all  the  men  and  some 
of  the  women  joined  them,  having  suddenly  changed 
from  gloom  and  fear  to  great  gayety  and  confidence. 

The  next  day  Lewis  and  his  party  crossed  back  over 
the  main  divide  at  the  pass  and  stopped  at  the  spring. 
Two  of  the  white  hunters  were  sent  ahead  to  secure 
game  and  Lewis  suggested  that  the  chief  keep  the  young 
braves  back  so  as  not  to  scare  away  the  game. 

This  aroused  the  suspicions  of  the  Indians  and  soon 
all  of  them  deserted  Lewis  except  the  chief  and 
twenty-eight  men  and  a  few  w^omen.  Soon  an  Indian 
brave  rode  back,  saying  that  one  of  the  hunters  had 
killed  a  deer.  The  Indians  pushed  forward,  and  as 
they  came  up  with  the  hunter  who  was  dressing 
the  deer,  they  seized  upon  the  liver  and  parts  of 
the  animal  which  he  w^as  casting  away  and  devoured 
them  raw.  The  blood  from  the  raw  flesh  streamed 
from  their  mouths,  producing  a  disgusting  spectacle. 
Captain  Lewis  divided  up  the  animal,  saved  one-quar- 
ter for  the  whites  and  gave  the  rest  to  the  Indians. 
They  immediately  devoured  it  raw.  Two  other  deer 
and  also   an   antelope  were  shot    by  one   of    the   white 


LEWIS   AND    CLARK  21 

hunters.  These  were  likewise  divided  among  the  Indians 
and  put  them  in  great  good  humor. 

As  they  were  approaching  the  main  party  of  white 
people,  the  chief  halted  and  put  tippets  of  skin  around 
the  necks  of  the  white  men  like  those  worn  by  the 
Indians.  As  this  was  intended  to  disguise  the  white 
men,  Lewis,  in  order  to  give  them  confidence,  put  his 
cocked  hat  and  feather  on  the  head  of  the  chief,  and 
as  his  own  overshirt  was  like  that  of  the  Indians  and 
his  skin  browned  by  the  sun,  he  could  not  have  been 
distinguished  from  an  Indian.  The  other  men  followed 
his  example  and  the  change  seemed  very  agreeable  to 
the  Indians. 

When  they  came  to  the  forks  of  the  river  where 
they  expected  to  meet  Clark  and  the  larger  party, 
Lewis  and  the  Indians  were  greatly  disappointed  that 
they  did  not  find  them.  The  Indians  again  became 
very  suspicious  and  threatened  to  desert  Lewis  with  all 
their  horses.  This  woidd  arouse  the  fear  and  suspicion 
of  all  the  neigliboring  tribes  and  Lewis  and  Clark 
would  find  it  exceedingly  difiicult  to  make  the  remain- 
der of  the  journey.  To  allay  their  fears,  Lewis  gave 
up  his  gun  to  the  chief,  the  other  white  men  gave 
theirs  to  the  Indians ;  and  Lewis  offered  to  stay  with 
them  till  one  of  his  men  went  forward  to  find  Clark 
and  his  party.     Fortunately  the  scout  soon  came  up  with 


S  M:"im  Put,  ' 


Lewis  in  Indian  Costume 


LEWIS  AND   CLARK  23 

Clark's  party,  which  had  beeu  toiling  laboriously,  with 
boats  and  loads,  up  the  rapid  stream. 

When  the  two  parties  came  together,  a  great  council 
was  held,  the  peace-pipe  smoked,  and  Lewis  and  Clark 
explained  to  the  chiefs  and  w^arriors  the  purpose  of 
their  journey,  among  other  things  to  visit  the  Sho- 
shones  and  to  bring  to  them  goods  for  trade.  These 
speeches  had  a  good  effect.  Lewis  and  Clark  found 
there  were  three  chiefs  among  the  Indians  and  to  each 
of  them  they  presented  medals,  a  uniform  coat,  a  shirt, 
a  pair  of  scarlet  leggings,  a  measure  of  tobacco,  and 
some  small  articles. 

Presents  were  also  p^iven  to  some  of  the  leading 
young  braves.  These  honorary  gifts  were  followed  by 
presents  of  paint,  moccasins,  awls,  knives,  beads,  and 
looking-glasses.  They  were  all  given  a  plentiful  meal 
of  Indian  corn,  the  hull  of  which  is  taken  off  by  being 
boiled  in  lye.  As  this  was  the  first  the  Indians  had 
ever  tasted,  they  were  very  much  pleased  witli  it. 
They  were  much  surprised  by  all  they  saw,  —  the 
appearance  of  the  men,  the  arms,  the  clothing,  the 
canoes,  the  strange  looks  of  the  negro,  all  in  turn 
shared   their    admiration. 

The  white  hunters  brought  in,  very  seasonably,  four 
deer  and  an  antelope ;  the  latter  was  given  to  the  Ind- 
ians, who  in  a  very  short  time  devoured  it. 


2-4  PIONEERS    OF    THE   WEST 

Captain  Clark  was  now  sent  oiTt  with,  a  party  to  cross 
the  mountain  ridge,  go  down  the  Columbia  far  enough 
for  boating,  build  boats  if  timber  could  be  found,  and 
prepare  for  the  party  to  follow. 

In  order  to  relieve  Clark's  party  of  the  heavy  weight 
of  arms,  provisions,  and  tools,  the  whites  exposed  for 
barter  to  the  Indians  such  things  as  a  uniform  coat, 
leggings,  handkerchiefs,  knives,  etc.  For  these  they 
secured  for  themselves  very  good  horses. 

Captain  Clark,  with  eleven  men,  three  horses  for  the 
baggage,  and  nearly  all  the  Indians,  climbed  the  divide 
and  descended  on  the  west  side  into  the  valley  of  the 
Lemhi  River.  Going  down  this  stream  past  its  junction 
with  the  Salmon  River,  he  found  that  it  would  be  im- 
possible to  descend  in  boats  on  account  of  deep  gorges, 
rapids,  and  falls,  which  occur  where  the  river  breaks  its 
way  through  the  western  mountains.  It  would  be  just 
as  difficult  to  cross  these  mountains  overland,  because 
there  were  no  Indian  trails  over  them  and  the  country 
was  extremely  rugged  and  barren.  With  this  bad  news 
and  with  his  men  almost  starving,  Clark  returned  to 
the  main  camp  under  Lewis.  The  party  was  now  in  a 
desperate  situation. 

An  old  Indian  guide,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  the 
rest  of  the  Indians,  claimed  that  he  could  lead  them 
northward   across   the    Bitter    Root    Mountains   into   the 


LEWIS   AND    CLARK 


25 


valley  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Columbia  River,  and 
thence  they  could  cross  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains  west- 
ward to  a  navigable  river  flowing  into  the  Snake  River, 
or  South  Fork  of  the  Columbia.  It  was  necessary  to 
get  out  of  these  mountains  before  the  winter  snows  and 


A  Vallky  in  the  Kocky  Molxtains 


storms  set  in,  and   it  was   resolved   at  once   to   make  a 
desperate  push  across  the  ranges. 

Having  secured  all  the  horses  they  could  from  the 
Shoshones,  the  explorers  followed  the  old  Indian  guide 
northward  over  the  steep  and  rocky  Bitter  Root  Moun- 
tains, down  into  the  vallev  of  Bitter  Root  Creek,  where 


26  PIONEEIiS   OP   THE    WEST 

they  found  a  friendly  tribe  of  the  Flathead  Indians. 
Having  passed  down  this  valley  to  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Missoula,  Montana, 
they  camped  at  the  mouth  of  Travellers'  Rest  Creek, 
and  then  ascended  the  Indian  Trail  westward  over  the 
Bitter  Root  Mountains,  descending  on  the  west  side  to 
the  head  streams  of  the  Clearwater.  It  was  in  thus 
twice  crossing  the  Bitter  Root  Mountains  in  an  almost 
starved  condition  that  they  suffered  their  worst  hard- 
ships. 

"Almost  a  month  was  spent  in  getting  through  the 
mountains.  Snow  fell  and  water  froze  among  those 
rocky  heights.  On  some  days  five  miles  would  be  all 
they  could  advance.  On  others  they  could  scarcely  go 
forward  at  all.  The  plenty  they  had  enjoyed  on  the 
plains  gave  way  to  scarcity  or  worse.  Seldom  could 
the  hunters  bring  in  anything  but  a  pheasant,  a  squirrel, 
or  a  hawk,  to  men  famishing  with  hunger  and  worn 
dow^n  by  a  hard  day's  tramp.  The  daily  food  consisted 
mostly  of  berries  and  dried  fish,  of  which  every  man 
got  a  mouthful,  but  none  a  full  meal.  When  a  horse 
gave  out  he  was  killed  and  eaten.  The  men  grew  sick 
and  dispirited  under  constant  labor,  for  which  want  of 
nourishing  food  made  them  every  day  more  and  more 
incapable.  In  short,  every  suffering  which  cold,  hunger, 
and    fatigue    could    bring,  was  borne    by   the   explorers. 


LEWIS   AND   CLARK  27 

Ragged,  half-starved,  and  foot-sore,  but  upheld  by  the 
courage  of  their  leaders,  the  explorers  came  out  on  the 
other  side  of  the  mountains  less  like  conquerors  than 
fugitives." 

As  they  descended  the  west  slope,  Clark  was  again 
sent  ahead  with  a  small  party  to  hunt  and  secure  pro- 
visions. But  game  M^as  very  scarce.  Killing  a  wild 
horse,  he  hung  the  meat  in  the  trees  for  the  larger 
party  when  they  should  come  up.  September  20  he 
reached  the  foot  of  the  range  and  found  in  the  valley 
a  village  of  the  Pierced  Nose  Indians.  Here  he  collected 
dried  fish,  roots,  and  berries,  which  he  sent  back  to  the 
main  party  just  in  time  to  save  them  from  extreme 
hunger.  Clark  himself  was  so  famished  that  he  ate 
too  much  of  the  unaccustomed  food  and  was  sick  for 
several  days.  Most  of  the  men  of  the  main  party  like- 
wise were  sick  for  several  days  from  overeating  when 
they  reached  the  friendly  villages.  Twisted  Hair,  the 
chief  of  the  tribe,  treated  them  generously  and  guided 
them  down  the  valley. 

From  the  Indians  the  explorers  obtained  supplies  of 
fish  and  roots,  and,  following  the  smaller  streams  down 
to  their  junction  with  the  larger,  they  were  at  length 
able  to  make  boats  from  logs  and  embark  upon  the 
river.  The  horses,  which  had  borne  their  packs  four 
hundred    miles   through   the    mountains,   were    now  left 


28  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

behind  with  this  tribe  of  friendly  Indians,  called  the 
Nez  Perces,  or  Pierced  Noses. 

The  river  was  sometimes  broken  by  rapids,  through 
which  the  boats  of  the  party  were  guided  without  serious 
damage.  Glidino-  down  the  Clearwater  in  their  five  log; 
boats,  they  reached  its  junction  with  the  Snake  River, 
and  camped  near  the  present  site  of  Lewiston.  The 
main  river,  upon  which  they  now  floated  westward,  w^as 
named  Lewis  (now  Snake),  and  a  great  stream  from  the 
north,  which  combines  with  it  to  form  the  Columbia, 
was  later  christened  the  Clark. 

At  the  junction  of  the  two  great  rivers  forming  the 
Columbia  they  made  a  camp.  "  We  had  scarcely  fixed 
the  camp  and  got  the  fires  prepared,  when  a  chief  came 
from  the  Indian  camp  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  up  the 
Columbia,  at  the  head  of  nearly  two  hundred  men.  They 
formed  a  regular  procession,  keeping  time  to  the  noise, 
rather  than  the  music,  of  their  drums,  which  they  accom- 
panied with  their  voices.  As  they  advanced,  they  formed 
a  semicircle  around  us,  and  continued  singing  for  some 
time.  We  then  smoked  with  them  all  and  communi- 
cated, as  well  as  we  could  by  signs,  our  friendly  inten- 
tions toward  all  nations  and  our  joy  at  finding  ourselves 
surrounded  by  our  children.  We  then  proceeded  to  dis- 
tribute presents  to  them,  giving  the  principal  chief  a 
large  medal,  a  shirt,  and  a  handkerchief ;  to  the  second 


LEWIS    AND    CLARK  29 

chief,  a  medal  of  smaller  size ;  and  to  a  tliird  chief, 
who  came  down  from  some  of  the  upper  villages,  a  small 
medal  and  a  handkerchief.  After  they  had  dispersed  we 
proceeded  to  purchase  provisions,  and  were  enabled  to 
collect  seven  dogs,  to  which  some  of  the  Indians  added 
small  presents  of  fish,  and  one  of  them  gave  us  twenty 
pounds  of  fat  dried  horse  flesh. 

"  While  the  expedition  rested  at  the  forks.  Captain 
Clark  and  two  men  went  up  the  Columbia  River  a  few 
miles.  He  was  invited  to  stop  at  one  of  the  mat  houses 
on  the  shore,  and  when  he  entered  he  found  it  crowded 
with  men,  women,  and  children.  A  mat  was  spread  for 
him  to  sit  on.  Several  round  stones  were  heated  in  the 
fire  in  the  centre  of  the  room,  and  when  hot  enough  were 
dropped  into  buckets  of  water,  each  containing  a  half- 
dried  salmon  of  good  size.  When  the  fishes  were  suf- 
ficiently boiled  by  the  heat  of  the  stones,  they  were  placed 
on  dishes  made  of  rushes  and  laid  before  the  guests,  who 
found  them  'of  au  excellent  flavor.'  At  this  season  of 
the  year  the  Indians  were  occupied  in  drying  the  salmon 
for  their  winter  food  supply.  '  The  multitude  of  this  fish 
is  almost  inconceivable.  The  water  is  so  clear  that  they 
can  readily  be  seen  at  the  depth  of  fifteen  to  twenty  feet ; 
but  at  this  season  they  float  in  such  quantities  down  the 
stream  and  are  drifted  ashore,  that  the  Indians  have  only 
to  collect,  split,  and  dry  them  on  the  scaffolds.'     In  fact  so 


30  PIONEERS    OF    THE   WEST 

numerous  were  the  fish  and  so  scarce  the  fuel  that  the 
Indians,  so  they  assured  Captain  Clark,  frequently  used 
the  dried  fish  for  fuel."  ^ 

All  along  the  river  the  Indians  lived  largely  upon 
fish  and  especially  along  the  Columbia  the  nets  of  the 
salmon-fishers  were  frequently  found.  The  Indians  dried 
and  cured  the  fish.  "The  manner  of  doing  this  is  by 
first  opening  the  fish  and  exposing  it  to  the  sun  on  scaf- 
folds. When  it  is  sufficiently  dried  it  is  pounded  between 
two  stones  till  it  is  pulverized,  and  is  then  placed  in  a 
basket  about  two  feet  long  and  one  in  diameter,  neatly 
made  of  grass  and  rushes,  and  lined  with  the  skin  of  a 
salmon  stretched  and  dried  for  the  purpose.  Here  the 
fish  are  pressed  down  as  hard  as  possible,  and  the  tops 
are  covered  with  fish-skins,  which  are  secured  by  cords 
through  the  holes  of  the  basket.  These  baskets  are 
tlien  placed  in  some  dry  situation,  the  corded  part  up- 
ward, seven  being  usually  placed  as  close  as  they  can  be 
together,  and  five  on  the  top  of  these.  The  whole  is 
then  wrapped  up  in  mats  and  made  fast  by  cords,  over 
which  mats  are  again  thrown.  Twelve  of  these  baskets, 
each  of  which  contains  from  ninety  to  one  hundred 
pounds,  form  a  stack,  which  is  left  exposed  till  it  is 
sent  to  market.  The  fish  thus  preserved  keeps  sound 
and  sweet  for  several  years;   and   great  quantities,  they 

1  F.  N.  Fletclier. 


LEWIS    AND   CLARK  31 

inform  us,  are  sent  to  the  Indians  who  live  below  the 
falls,  whence  it  finds  its  way  to  the  whites  who  visit 
the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  We  observed  both  near  the 
lodges  and  on  the  rocks  in  the  river  great  numbers  of 
stacks  of  these  pounded  fish.  Besides  fish  these  people 
supplied  us  with  filberts  and  berries,  and  we  purchased 
a  dog  for  supper;  but  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that 
we  were  able  to  buy  wood  enough  to  cook  it." 

The  Indians  grew^  more  and  more  numerous  as  the 
explorers  approached  the  lower  course  of  the  river  and 
were  friendly,  supplying  them  with  abundant  provisions 
and  receiving  gladly  the  presents  brought  by  Lewis  and 
Clark.  Most  of  the  rapids  were  passed  successfully  in 
the  boats,  but  on  reaching  the  great  falls,  the  party 
halted  and  passed  along  the  shore,  examining  them. 
In  spite  of  the  roaring,  swirling  rapids,  they  decided  to 
risk  them  in  the  boats.  Taking  out  the  more  valuable 
baggage  to  be  carried  around  the  portage,  tlie  boats  ran 
through  this  narrow  gorge  with  its  foaming  rapids,  much 
to  the  astonishment  of  the  Indians. 

Having  passed  these  great  Cascades  of  the  Columbia, 
where  it  breaks  through  the  range  of  the  Cascade  Moun- 
tains, the  expedition  was  upon  the  smooth  current  of  the 
great  river  in  its  last  march  to  the  sea.  The  voyage 
down  the  river  occupied  several  weeks  and  it  was  the  7th 
day  of   November   before   the  voyagers  saw  the   Pacific. 


32  PIONEERS   OF   THE   WEST 

The  Indians  on  the  lower  course  of  the  Columbia  were  in 
possession  of  firearms,  which  they  had  evidently  secured 
from  Europeans. 

The  first  sidit  of  the   Pacific  Ocean  was  hailed  with 

o 

joy  but  this  was  soon  changed  into  discomfort  by  the 
stormy  winds  and  drenching  rains.  The  explorers  had 
reached  the  coast  in  the  beginning  of  the  rainy  season. 
Beating  about  the  stormy  mouth  of  the  river,  they  had 
great  difficulty  in  finding  a  good  camping-ground  for  the 
winter.  At  last  they  found  a  wooded  slope  on  the  south 
bank  of  the  river  where  they  could  build  their  whiter 
quarters.  In  the  neighborhood  was  good  hunting.  The 
exposure  to  the  cold  and  drenching  rains  brought  on 
fevers ;  but  after  a  month's  painful  labor  they  finished 
log  cabins  and  by  Christmas  time  moved  into  them. 

The  Indians  of  this  region  brought  dried  fish  and  roots 
to  trade.  But  the  long  journey  across  the  continent  had 
used  up  their  merchandise  and  trinkets  for  trading  with 
the  Indians  and  in  consequence  Lewis  and  Clark  had 
hardly  anything  left  with  which  to  purchase  supplies.  The 
hunters  were  constantly  sent  out  to  bring  in  elk,  deer,  and 
other  game.  Some  of  the  men  took  a  large  kettle  to  the 
seashore  and  boiled  down  the  water  so  as  to  secure  salt. 
The  Indians  of  this  region  were  dirty  and  infested  with 
fleas,  and  whenever  they  visited  the  camp  they  brought 
a  large    contribution   of   these    distressing  vermin.      On 


LEWIS    AND    CLARK  33 

account  of  the  damp  climate,  much  of  the  meat  brought 
in  by  the  hunters  spoiled  and  oftentimes  the  men  were 
nearly  destitute  of  food. 

In  spite  of  their  difficulties  during  the  five  months  of 
their  stay  on  this  foggy  and  storm-beaten  coast,  the  mem- 
l^ers  of  the  party  used  the  skhis  of  the  elk  and  other  game 
to  23repare  a  complete  outfit  of  clothing  for  their  return 
journey.  They  repaired  their  firearms  and  put  them  in 
good  condition,  and  tried  to  lay  up  a  store  of  food  before 
starting  on  their  homeward  journey. 

They  had  expected  to  meet  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia 
some  European  ships  from  which  they  could  buy  supplies, 
having  been  authorized  by  President  Jefferson  to  make 
such  purchases.  But  no  ships  appeared  during  the  rainy 
season,  and  they  feared  that  by  waiting  too  long  they 
might  be  delayed  in  crossing  the  mountains  and  would 
be  unable  to  meet  their  engagements  with  the  Indian 
tribes  with  whom  they  had  left  their  horses  and  baggage. 

During  the  winter  Clark  had  made  a  careful  map  of 
the  journey  from  St.  Louis  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia, 
based  upon  his  records,  field  notes,  and  observations  of 
latitude  and  longitude.  He  discovered  that  in  following 
the  Jefferson  River  to  the  chief  divide  they  had  made  a 
great  bend  to  the  south  and  had  gone  five  hundred  miles 
out  of  their  way.  From  the  Indians  they  had  learned 
also  that   the    passes   of    the   mountains   on   the   shorter 


34  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

northern  route  from  Traveller's  Kest  Creek  to  the  great 
Falls  of  the  Missouri  were  much  easier.  It  was  decided 
therefore  that,  upon  reaching  Traveller's  Rest  Creek,  part 
of  the  company  should  follow  this  shorter  trail,  while  the 
others  should  go  by  the  old  route  to  recover  their  boats 
and  supplies  left  with  the  Indians  in  the  mountains. 

On  the  23d  of  March,  180G,  seeing  that  game  had 
grown  scarce  near  their  camp  and  their  supplies  low,  the 
party  found  it  necessary  to  abandon  their  winter  quarters 
and  start  on  their  long  return  journey. 

They  were  now  almost  destitute  of  merchandise  with 
which  to  purchase  food  and  horses,  so  much  needed  on  the 
way.  Going  up  the  Columbia  against  the  current  was  far 
more  laborious  than  the  descent  had  been.  The  boats 
had  to  be  carried  around  the  rapids.  After  passing  the 
Great  Falls,  horses  were  secured  and  the  remainder  of  the 
journey  to  the  base  of  the  mountains  was  made  by  land. 
The  explorers  were  compelled  to  do  some  shrewd  trading 
on  small  capital  in  order  to  secure  horses.  But  some  of 
the  Indian  tribes,  especially  the  Walla  Wallas,  proved 
very  friendly  and  generous. 

Fortunately  Lewis  and  Clark  had  made  some  reputation 
among  the  Indians  in  their  passage  down  the  river,  by  the 
successful  treatment  of  diseases.  Many  of  the  Indians 
suffered  from  eye  diseases  and  the  explorers  sold  them  an 
eye-water  which   proved  helpful.      The  Indians  came  in 


LEWIS   AND   CLARK  35 

great  numbers  and  Lewis  and  Clark  treated  them  for  their 
physical  troubles  to  the  best  of  their  ability  without  doing 
them  any  injury.  The  work  of  the  two  leaders  as  phy- 
sicians brought  them  food  and  supplies  at  a  time  of  great 
need. 

When  the  travellers  came  near  the  foot  of  the  moun- 
tains they  found  again  the  horses  which  they  had  left 
with  Tangled  Hair,  the  chief  of  the  Nez  Perces.  The 
horses  were  in  prime  condition.  Having  laid  in  snpplies, 
the  party  was  now  well  equipped  for  passing  the  mountains. 

But  in  attempting  to  climb  the  ridges  in  May  they 
found  the  snow  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  deep,  so  that  the 
horses  could  find  no  forage.  The  explorers  were  com- 
pelled to  retui-n  to  the  valley  and  spent  a  month  in 
weary  waiting  till  the  snows  had  melted.  Late  in  June 
they  again  set  out  and  quickly  passed  over  the  ridges 
to  Traveller's  Rest  Creek.  "  Here  a  halt  of  two  days 
was  made  to  refresh  the  horses;  and  here  it  was  decided 
to  divide  the  party  according  to  the  following  plan : 
Captain  Lewis,  with  nine  picked  men,  was  to  pursue 
the  most  direct  route  to  the  Falls  of  the  Missouri,  where 
a  portion  of  his  party  would  be  left  to  prepare  wagons 
for  transporting  the  canoes  and  baggage  around  the  falls, 
while  he,  with  the  other  men,  ascended  the  Marias  River. 
Captain  Clark,  with  the  balance  of  the  party,  was  to 
retrace  the  former  route,  pick  up  the  canoes  and  sup- 


36  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

plies  left  at  the  head  of  the  Jefferson  River,  and  descend 
that  river  to  the  Three  Forks  of  the  Missouri.  Thence 
he  was  to  proceed  by  laud  to  the  Yellowstone  River, 
descend  that  river  to  its  mouth,  and  there  join  Captain 
Lewis.  Sergeant  Ordway,  with  nine  men,  was  to  take 
the  canoes  and  baggage  from  the  Three  Forks  down  the 
Missouri  to  join  Captain  Lewis  at  the  falls.  This  plan 
was  carried  out."  In  this  way  the  exploration  of  a 
much  wider  stretch  of  country  would  be  made  upon  their 
return  trip. 

By  August  12  the  three  divisions  of  the  expedition 
luckily  came  together  again  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Yellowstone.  They  now  hastened  their  journey  down 
the  swift  Missouri,  anxious  to  reach  their  homes  again. 
They  stopped  only  a  few  days  among  the  Mandan 
Indians  and  then  hurried  onward,  reaching  St.  Louis 
September  23,  1806. 

The  explorers  had  been  gone  two  years  and  four 
months  and  the  people  of  the  United  States  supposed 
that  they  had  long  since  perished ;  but  President  Jeffer- 
son still  hoped  that  they  might  be  able  to  return. 

Before  the  expedition  started  out  Congress  had  appro- 
priated $2500  for  its  expenses.  This  appropriation  was 
based  upon  an  estimate  of  expenses  made  by  Captain 
Lew^is  himself.  But,  as  we  have  already  seen,  it  proved 
wholly  inadequate  to  the  needs  of  the  party. 


38  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

In  his  report  to  the  government  Captain  Lewis  gave 
a  list  of  the  men  who  accompanied  him  upon  this  expe- 
dition, and  said  of  them  :  — 

"  With  respect  to  all  persons  whose  names  are  entered 
upon  this  roll,  I  feel  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  declaring 
that  the  ample  support  which  they  gave  us  under  every 
difficulty,  the  manly  firmness  they  evinced  on  every  nec- 
essary occasion,  and  the  patience  and  fortitude  with  which 
they  bore  the  fatigues  and  painful  sufferings  incident  to 
my  late  tour  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  entitle  them  to  my 
warmest  approbation  and  thanks ;  nor  will  I  suppress 
the  expression  of  a  hope  that  the  recollection  of  ser- 
vices thus  faithfully  performed  will  meet  a  just  reward 
in  an  ample  remuneration  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
ment." 

In  1807  a  bill  passed  Congress  granting  to  each  pri- 
vate and  non-commissioned  officer  double  pay  for  the 
entire  period  of  the  journey  and  three  hundred  acres  of 
land  from  the  public  domain.  A  grant  of  fifteen  hun- 
dred acres  was  also  made  to  Captain  Lewis  and  of  one 
thousand  acres  to  Captain  Clark.  But  Captain  Lewis 
objected  to  this  and  desired  that  Captain  Clark  should 
receive  the  same  as  himself. 

Having  gone  to  Washington,  Captain  Lewis  made  his 
report  to  the  government  and  returned  to  St.  Louis  in  the 
summer  of  1807  as  governor  of  the  Louisiana  Territory. 


LEWIS   AND   CLARK  39 

This  position  he  held  till  his  death,  two  years  later, 
proving  himself  an  able  ruler  of  this  newly  won  terri- 
tory. 

At  the  same  time  Captain  Clark  was  appointed  gen- 
eral of  the  militia  and  Indian  agent  of  the  territory. 
He  proved  a  very  able  manager  of  the  Indians  and  was 
highly  respected  by  them.  In  1812  he  was  appointed 
governor  of  the  Missouri  Territory  with  headquarters 
at  St.  Louis,  a  position  which  he  held  till  1822,  when 
Missouri  became  a  state.  He  was  then  appointed  Gen- 
eral Commissioner  of  Indian  Affairs,  in  which  position 
he  remained  till  his  death  in  1838.  In  all  his  dealings 
with  the  Indians  and  Western  pioneers  Clark  showed 
great  ability  as  a  governor,  and  was  regarded  as  most 
just  and  honorable  in  his  dealings.  Among  the  Indians 
he  was  known  as  the  "  Red  Head  "  and  St.  Louis  was 
called  by  them  the  "Red  Head's  town."  In  the  Indian 
councils  the  "Red  Head"  was  looked  upon  as  their  best 
friend. 


CHAPTER  II 

FREMONT'S   FIRST   TRIP   TO   THE   ROCKY   MOUNTAINS  i 

In  1842   Fremont,  a  young  explorer,  employed  in  the 
service   of   the    United    States,   resolved   to   explore  the 
Rocky  Mountains  and  the  passes  in  what  is  now  Wyo- 
ming, then  the  northwest- 
ern part  of  Missouri.     The 
South  Pass  was  that  point 
in  the  mountains  in  Wyo- 
mins;  where  the  first  settlers 
to  Oregon  had  crossed  the 
main   chain  of   the   Rocky 
Mountains.       Fremont    de- 
sired to  examine  this  exten- 
sive region,  to  measure  the 
height    of    the    mountains 
and  of  the  pass,  and  to  find 
the    best    road    for   travel 
through  the  West. 
At  St.  Louis  he  had  collected  twenty-one  men,  mostly 
Creole   and   Canadian    trappers,  who    knew  the    country 

1  Authority  :  Fremont's  Diary. 
40 


John  C.  Fremont 


42 


PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 


toward  the  west,  having  worked  for  the  great  fur  com- 
panies in  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Preuss,  a  German,  assisted 
Fremont  with  the  surveying  instruments.  Kit  Carson 
was  his  guide.  All  the  men  were  armed  and  mounted 
on  horseback,  except  eiglit,  who  had  charge  of  eight 
carts  drawn  by  mules.  In  the  carts  were  put  the  pro- 
visions, such  as  sugar,  bacon,  crackers,  salt,  dried  meat, 
and  coffee,  also  tobacco,  clothing,  blankets,  and  tools,  for 
presents  to  the  Indians,  and  the  surveying  instruments. 
Each  cart  was  drawn  by  two  mules  and  some  loose 
horses  and  oxen  were  driven  along  to  be  used  for 
special  needs. 


Fort  Laramie 


On  the  12th  of  July  the  party  reached  Fort  Laramie 
and  found  that  the  Cheyenne  and  Sioux  Indians  were 
in  a  state  of  bad  feeling  toward  the  whites,  because 
in   a   recent   quarrel   with    them   the    Indians   had    lost 


Fremont's  first  trip  to  the  rocky  mountains      43 

eight  or  ten  of  their  warriors.  It  was  rumored  at  the  fort 
that  eight  hundred  Indian  lodges  were  in  motion  against 
the  whites.  Fremont's  men,  though  accustomed  to  such 
dangers,  became  uneasy  on  account  of  these  stories  and 
reports  that  numerous  parties  of  Indians  were  on  the 
war-path.  Even  Carson  said  it  was  very  dangerous  for 
Fremont's  party  to  advance.  He  was  afraid  that  the 
Indians  might  attack  them  before  finding  out  who  they 
were.  Fremont,  however,  beheved  that  the  rumors 
were  exaggerated  and  decided  to  take  with  him  an 
interpreter  and  some  old  Indians,  so  as  to  make  friends 
with   the  war-parties,  should   he  meet  them. 

While  Fremont  was  encamped  at  Fort  Laramie,  a  large 
Indian  village  came  up  and  pitched  its  tents  near.  The 
Indians  made  frequent  visits  to  the  tents  of  Fremont's 
men  and  the  chiefs  to  Fremont's  lodsie.  "  Now  and 
then  an  Indian  would  dart  up  to  the  tent  on  horseback, 
jerk  off  his  trappings,  and  stand  silently  at  the  door, 
showing  his  desire  to  trade.  Occasionally  a  savage 
would  stalk  in  with  an  invitation  to  a  feast  of  honor, 
a  dog  feast,  and  quietly  sit  down  and  wait  till  I  was 
ready  to  accompany  him.  I  went  to  one ;  the  women 
and  children  were  sitting  outside  the  lodge,  and  we  took 
our  seats  on  buffalo  robes  spread  around.  The  dog  was 
in  a  large  pot  over  the  fire  in  the  middle  of  the  lodge ; 
and  immediately  upon  our  arrival  was  dished  up  in  large 


44  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

wooden  bowls,  one  of  which  was  handed  to  each.  The 
flesh  had  something  of  the  flavor  and  appearance  of 
nintton.  Feeling  something  move  behind  me,  I  looked 
around  and  found  that  I  had  taken  my  seat  among  a 
litter  of  fat  young  puppies.  Fortunately  I  was  not  of 
delicate  nerves,  and  continued  to  empty  my  platter. 
The  Indian  village  consisted  principally  of  old  men, 
women,  and  children.  They  had  a  considerable  number 
of  horses  and  large  companies  of  dogs.  Their  lodges 
were  pitched  near  the  fort,  and  our  camp  was  constantly 
crowded  with  Indians  of  all  sizes,  from  morning  till 
night,  at  which  time  some  of  the  soldiers  came  to  drive 
them  all  off  to  the  village.  My  tent  was  the  only  place 
which  they  respected.  Here  came  only  the  chiefs  and 
men  of  distinction,  and  one  of  them  usually  remained 
to  drive  away  the  women  and  children.  The  numerous 
strange  instruments,  applied  to  still  stranger  uses,  ex- 
cited awe  and  admiration  among  them,  and  those  which 
I  used  in  talking  with  the  sun  and  stars  they  looked 
upon  with  special  reverence,  as  mysterious  things  of 
'  great  medicine.'  "  * 

Fremont  had  with  him  chronometers,  large  thermome- 
ters, transit  instruments,  and  barometers,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  keeping  a  record  of  the  temperature,  rainfall, 
heights  of  places,  and  their  latitude  and  longitude.     Be- 

^  Fremont's  Diary. 


Fremont's  first  trip  to  the  rocky  mountains     45 

fore  setting  out  ou  the  mountain  trip,  several  of  the 
instruments  were  left  at  the  fort.  The  longitude  of 
Fort  Laramie  was  found  to  be  104°  47'  48".  By  means 
of  the  barometer  the  elevation  of  the  fort  above  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  was  found  to  be  4470  feet. 

During  the  stay  here  the  men  had  been  engaged  in 
making  numerous  repairs,  arranging  pack-saddles,  and 
otherwise  preparing  for  the  chances  of  a  rough  road 
and  mountain  travel.  As  it  was  a  dangerous  journey, 
Fremont  called  the  men  together,  told  them  he  was 
determined  to  go  on,  but  if  any  of  them  desired  to  re- 
turn, they  could  take  their  pay  and  be  dismissed.  Only 
one  man  accepted  the  offer  and  he  was  laughed  at  as  a 
coward. 

Just  as  Fremont  and  his  men  had  saddled  and 
mounted  their  horses  and  geared  up  their  mules,  several 
of  the  old  Indian  chiefs,  tall,  powerful  men,  forced  their 
way  to  him  and  told  him  not  to  proceed,  as  the  young 
warriors  would  be  sure  to  fire  upon  his  men.  Fremont 
believed  that  they  only  desired  to  keep  the  whites  at 
the  fort  in  order  to  trade  with  them  and  prevent  them 
exploring  the  country.  He  replied  that  they  were  de- 
termined to  adv'ance,  and,  if  the  young  warriors  attacked 
them,  to  defend  themselves  with  their  rifles.  But  after 
having  set  out,  tliey  were  not  disturbed  further  by  the 
Indians   on   their   journey.     At    the    close  of   the  week. 


46  PIONEERS   OP   THE   WEST 

however,  they  met  a  worse  enemy  in  a  scarcity  of  pro- 
visions, "  a  great  drouth,  and  the  grasshoppers  having 
swept  the  country,  so  that  not  a  blade  of  grass  was  to 
be  seen  nor  a  buffalo  to  be  found  through  the  whole 
region.  Some  Sioux  Indians,  whom  they  met,  said  that 
their  people  were  nearly  starved  to  death,  had  aban- 
doned their  villages,  and  their  receding  tracks  might  be 
marked  by  the  carcasses  of  horses  strewed  along  the 
road,  which  they  had  either  eaten  or  which  had  died  of 
starvation."  Fremont  again  called  his  men  together, 
explained  to  them  the  facts,  and  declared  his  purpose  to 
keep  on  to  the  mountains.  He  knew  that  some  of  the 
men  would  remain  faithful  to  him.  They  still  had  ten 
days'  provisions,  and  if  no  game  could  be  found,  they 
had  their  horses  and  mules,  which  they  could  eat  when 
other  supplies  gave  out.  But  not  a  man  now  desired 
to  desert.  Fremont  sent  back  the  interpreter  and  an 
Indian  guide  who  had  come  with  them  thus  far. 

The  explorers  were  just  at  the  edge  of  the  foot-hills, 
in  full  view  of  the  great  snow-covered  chain  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains.  Fremont  resolved  to  leave  behind  and  con- 
ceal everything  that  would  not  be  needed  for  their 
mountain  journey.  So  they  turned  in  toward  the  bank 
of  the  Platte  River,  where  there  was  a  thick  grove  of 
willow  trees.  The  carts  were  taken  to  pieces  and  the 
wheels    and   other   parts    carried   into    some   low   places 


Fremont's  first  trip  to  the  rocky  mountains     47 

among  the  willows,  and  concealed  among  the  dense  foli- 
age, so  that  no  straggling  Indian  might  see  them.  In 
the  sand,  among  the  willows,  a  large  hole  was  dug,  ten 
feet  square  and  six  feet  deep.  All  the  goods  not  needed 
for  the  mountain  journey  were  carefully  covered  up  in 
this  hole  or  cache.  Then  the  ground  was  smoothed  over 
and  all  traces  removed.  A  good  rain  was  all  that  was 
necessary  to  make  the  hidden  supplies  perfectly  safe  from 
the  Indians.  Then  the  men  arranged  their  packs  and 
loaded  them  upon  the  animals. 

The  day  was  calm  and  clear,  except  where  clouds  were 
seen  along  the  tops  of  the  mountains.  ''  One  lodge  had 
been  planted,  and,  on  account  of  the  heat  of  the  afternoon, 
the  ground  pins  had  been  taken  out  and  the  lower  part 
slightly  raised.  Near  it  was  standing  the  barometer, 
which  swung  in  a  tripod  frame.  Within  the  lodge,  where 
a  small  fire  was  built,  Mr.  Preuss  was  occupied  in  observ- 
ing the  temperature  of  boiling  water.  At  this  instant, 
and  without  any  warning  until  within  fifty  yards,  a  vio- 
lent gust  of  wind  dashed  down  and  overturned  the  lodge, 
burying  under  it  Mr.  Preuss  and  about  a  dozen  men,  who 
had  attempted  to  keep  it  from  being  carried  away.  I 
succeeded  in  saving  the  barometer,  which  the  lodge  was 
carrying  off  with  itself,  but  the  thermometer  was  broken 
and  we  had  no  other  so  good." 

Fremont  and  his  party  now  followed  the  Platte  Kiver 


48  riONEEUS    OF    THE    WEST 

to  the  point  where  the  Sweetwater  enters  it  from  the 
northwest,  then  turning  up  the  narrow  valley  of  the 
Sweetwater,  they  came  to  South  Pass  on  the  8th  of 
August.  It  is  a  wide,  low  depression  of  the  mountains 
with  an  easy  slope,  and  a  plainly  beaten  wagon  track 
leads  across  the  mountains.  Fremont  went  throut2:h  this 
pass  and  came  upon  the  head  waters  of  the  Coloradcj, 
which  flows  into  the  Pacific. 

In  crossing  a  fork  of  the  Green  River,  the  current  was 
so  swift  that  the  barometer  was  accidentally  broken.  It 
was  the  only  barometer  Fremont  had  left  and  without  it 
he  could  not  measure  the  height  of  mountains.  He  says: 
"  A  great  part  of  the  interest  of  the  journey  for  me  was  in 
the  exploration  of  these  mountains,  of  which  so  much  had 
been  said  that  was  doul)tful  and  contradictory,  and  now 
the  snowy  peaks  rose  grandly  before  me,  and  the  only 
means  of  giving  them  accurately  to  science  was  destroyed. 
We  had  brought  this  barometer  in  safety  a  thousand 
miles,  and  broke  it  almost  among  the  snows  of  the  moun- 
tains. The  loss  was  felt  by  the  whole  camp  —  all  had 
seen  my  anxiety  and  aided  me  in  preserving  it.  The 
height  of  these  mountains,  considered  by  the  hunters  and 
traders  the  hio;hest  in  the  whole  rano-e,  had  been  a  matter 
of  constant  discussion  among  tliem,  and  all  had  looked 
forward  with  pleasure  to  the  moment  when  the  instru- 
ment, which  they  believed  to  be  as  true  as  the  sun,  should 


I 


Fremont's  first  trip  to  the  rocky  mountains     49 

stand  upon  tlie  monntains  and  decide  their  dispute.  Their 
grief  was  scarcely  less  than  my  own."  The  tube  of  the 
cistern  had  been  broken  about  midway.  When  they  had 
made  camp,  Fremont  spent  the  rest  of  that  day  and  the 
next  in  trying  to  repair  the  broken  barometer.  At  last, 
by  means  of  a  piece  of  transparent  horn,  which  he  boiled 
and  scraped  thin,  and  with  glue,  obtained  from  buffalo 
hoofs,  he  succeeded  in  repairing  the  break,  and  found  that 
the  instrument  registered  the  same  on  the  shores  of  the 
lake  as  before  it  was  broken.  His  success  in  this  experi- 
ment brought  23leasure  to  the  whole  camp. 

His  chief  purpose  was  to  climb  what  was  regarded  as 
the  highest  peak  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  now  known 
as  Fremont  Peak.  On  August  15  they  took  a  hearty 
breakfast,  covering  what  was  left  (dried  meat  and  coffee, 
enough  for  another  good  meal)  with  rocks.  Saddling 
mules,  Fremont  and  five  companions  turned  their  faces 
toward  the  rocky  summits  and  began  to  leave  the  valleys 
behind.  The  mules  had  been  refreshed  by  the  fine  grass 
in  the  little  ravine  of  their  last  camp.  Through  a  deep 
defile  of  the  mountains,  where  the  sun  rarely  shone  and 
where  they  had  to  pass  many  steep,  rocky  places,  the  party 
rode  along.  Near  the  foot  of  this  ravine  they  found 
themselves  at  the  end  of  an  almost  perpendicular  wall  of 
granite,  from  two  thousand  to  three  thousand  feet  high. 
At  the  end  of  this  valley  and  just  at  the  foot  of  the  main 


50  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

peak  they  found  three  small  lakes,  each  about  one  thou- 
sand yards  in  diameter  and  filling  a  very  deep  chasm. 
The  mules  thus  far  had  shown  wonderful  sure-footedness, 
leaping  from  rock  to  rock  without  causing  the  riders  to 
dismount.  About  a  hundred  feet  above  the  lakes  they 
were  turned  loose  to  graze.  The  six  men  prepared  now  to 
climb  to  the  top  of  the  peak.  Taking  off  everything  they 
did  not  need,  they  climbed  leisurely,  stopping  to  rest  as 
often  as  necessary.  They  saw  springs  gushing  from  the 
rocks  and  about  eighteen  hundred  feet  above  the  lakes 
they  reached  the  snow-line.  From  this  point  on  it  was 
steep  climbing  and  Fremont  put  on  a  pair  of  thin  mocca- 
sins instead  of  the  usual  thick-soled  ones.  At  one  place 
the  climbers  had  to  put  hands  and  feet  into  the  crevices 
between  the  rocks  to  scale  the  side.  At  last  they  reached 
the  crest,  a  pointed  rock,  and  found  on  the  other  side  a 
steep,  icy  precipice,  ending  in  a  snow-field  five  hundred 
feet  below.  The  top  rock  was  only  about  three  feet  wide 
and  sloping.  The  men  ascended  to  this  point  one  at  a 
time.  They  stuck  a  ramrod  in  the  snow  of  the  summit 
and  unfurled  the  stars  and  stripes.  They  also  set  up  the 
barometer  on  the  summit,  and  found  that  it  was  13,570 
feet  above  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  As  the  men  sat  there, 
thinking  themselves  far  above  all  other  animal  life,  a  soli- 
tary bumblebee  came  flying  by.  The  only  live  thing  they 
had   seen   on  their  climb   was  a  little   sparrowlike   bird. 


Fremont's  first  trip  to  the  rocky  mountains     51 

They  had  also  collected  flowers,  growing  in  abundance 
on  the  very  edge  of  the  snow.  These  flowers  with  the 
rest  of  the  plants  were  carefully  examined,  preserved, 
and  pressed  between  the  leaves  of  books. 

The  day  was  sunny  and  bright.  On  the  west  the  ex- 
plorers could  see  many  lakes  and  streams,  the  head  waters 
of  the  Colorado.  On  the  north  is  the  Wind  River  val- 
ley, in  which  are  the  head  waters  of  the  Yellowstone. 
Still  farther  to  the  north  they  could  see  the  "Trois  Tetons," 
near  the  sources  of  the  Missouri  and  the  Columbia.  To  the 
southeast  are  the  mountains  in  which  the  Platte  River 
rises.  "  All  around  us  the  whole  scene  had  one  main 
striking  feature,  which  was  that  of  terrible  convulsion. 
Parallel  to  its  length,  the  ridge  was  split  into  chasms  and 
fissures,  between  w^hich  rose  the  thin,  lofty  walls,  topped 
with  slender  minarets  and  columns.  The  little  lakes  at 
our  feet  were  2780  feet  below  us." 

It  was  two  o'clock  when  the  party  prepared  to  descend 
from  the  summit.  When  they  reached  the  lakes  the  sun 
had  already  set  behind  the  mountain  wall.  Having  found 
the  mules  again  and  remounted,  they  reached  their  de- 
posit of  provisions  at  nightfall.  "  Here  we  lay  down  on 
the  rocks,  and  in  spite  of  the  cold,  slept  soundly." 

On  the  ITtli  of  August,  having  reached  the  main  camp, 
the  order  was  given  to  turn  homeward.  Fremont  resolved, 
instead    of  following  by  land  the  general  course    of  the 


52  PIONEERS    OP   THE    WEST 

Platte,  as  before,  to  venture  with  a  small  boat  and  five 
companions  down  the  canons,  where  the  river  had  broken 
its  way  through  the  mountains  to  the  plains  on  tlie  east. 
The  greater  number  of  the  men,  going  on  horses,  were  to 
meet  him  again  at  Goat  Island,  in  the  Platte  River,  be- 
yond the  canons.  The  Indians  had  told  strange  stories 
of  cataracts,  rocks,  and  whirlpools,  but  no  one  had  ever 
gone  through  this  gate  of  the  mountains  in  a  boat.  The 
boat  was  of  India-rubber,  light,  and  loaded  with  the  instru- 
ments, baggage,  and  provisions  of  six  men  for  ten  days. 

"  We  paddled  down  the  river  rapidly,  for  our  little  craft 
was  light  as  a  duck  in  the  water.  When  the  sun  was  up 
a  little  way,  we  heard  below  ns  a  hollow  roar  which  we 
supposed  to  be  that  of  the  falls.  We  were  approaching  a 
canon,  where  the  river  passes  between  perpendicular  rocks 
of  great  height,  which  frequently  approach  each  other  so 
closely  overhead  as  to  form  a  kind  of  tunnel  over  the 
stream  that  foams  along  below,  half  choked  up  by  fallen 
fragments.  We  passed  three  cataracts  in  succession,  with 
perhaps  one  hundred  feet  of  smooth  water  between,  and 
finally,  with  a  shout  of  pleasure,  issued  from  one  tunnel 
into  the  open  day  beyond.  We  were  so  delighted  with 
the  performance  of  our  boat  that  we  would  not  have  hesi- 
tated to  leap  a  fall  of  ten  feet  with  her.  We  put  to  shore 
for  breakfast  at  some  willows  on  the  right  bank,  for  we 
were  wet  and  hungry. 


Fremont's  first  trip  to  the  rocky  mountains      5-3 

"  Then  we  embarked  again,  and  in  twenty  minutes 
reached  the  next  cailon.  Landing  on  a  rocky  shore  at  its 
commencement,  we  climljed  the  ridge  to  look  about  us. 
Portage  was  out  of  the  question.  So  far  as  we  coukl 
see,  the  jagged  rocks  pointed  out  the  course  of  the 
canon,  on  a  winding  line  of  seven  or  eight  miles.  It 
was  simply  a  dark  chasm  in  the  rock,  two  hundred  or 
three  hundred  feet  deep  at  the  entrance,  and  fm'ther 
down  five  hundred  feet.  Our  previous  success  had 
made  us  bold,  and  we  determined  to  run  the  second 
caiion.  Everything  was  secured  as  firmly  as  possible, 
and  having  divested  ourselves  of  the  greater  part  of 
our  clothing,  we  pushed  into  the  stream.  Mr.  Preuss, 
to  save  the  chronometer,  tried  to  carry  it  along  the 
shore.  But  soon  there  was  no  shore  except  the  steep 
rocks.  An  ugly  pass  lay  before  us.  We  made  fast  to 
the  stern  of  the  Ijoat  a  strong  rope  fifty  feet  long,-  and 
three  of  the  men  clambered  along  among  the  rocks, 
and  with  this  rope  let  her  down  slowly  through  the 
pass.  In  several  places  high  rocks  lay  scattered  about 
in  the  channel,  and  in  the  narrows  it  required  all  our 
strength  and  skill  to  avoid  staving  the  boat  on  the 
sharp  points.  -In  one  of  these  the  boat  proved  a  little 
too  broad  and  stuck  fast  for  an  instant,  while  the  water 
flowed  over  us.  Fortunately,  it  was  l)ut  for  an  instant, 
as  our  united    strength  forced  her  immediately  through. 


54  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

The  water  swept  overboard  only  a  sextant  and  a  pair 
of  saddle-bags.  The  sextant  I  caught  as  it  passed  me, 
but  the  saddle-bags  became  the  prey  of  the  whirlpools. 
"  We  reached  the  place  where  Mr.  Preuss  was  stand- 
ing, took  him  on  board,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  boat 
put  the  men  with  the  rope  on  the  succeeding  pile  of 
rocks.  We  found  this  passage  much  worse  than  the 
previous  one,  and  our  position  was  rather  a  bad  one. 
To  go  back  was  impossible ;  before  us  the  cataract  was 
a  sheet  of  foam  and  shut  up  in  the  chasm  by  the  rocks, 
which,  in  some  places,  seemed  almost  to  meet  overhead; 
the  roar  of  the  water  was  deafening.  We  pushed  oft" 
again,  but  after  making  a  little  distance  the  force  of  the 
current  became  too  great  for  the  men  on  shore,  and  two 
of  them  let  go  the  rope.  The  third  man,  Basil,  held  on 
and  was  jerked  head  foremost  into  the  river,  from  a  rock 
about  twelve  feet  high.  Down  the  boat  flew  like  an 
arrow,  Basil  following  us  in  the  rapid  current,  and  exert- 
ing all  his  strength  to  keep  in  mid-channel,  his  head 
only  seen  occasionally  like  a  black  spot  in  the  foam. 
How  far  we  went  I  do  not  know,  but  we  succeeded  in 
turning  the  boat  into  an  eddy  below.  Basil  arrived 
immediately  after  us,  and  we  took  him  on  board.  He 
owed  his  life  to  his  skill  as  a  swimmer.  We  now 
placed  ourselves  on  our  knees,  with  the  short  paddles 
in   our  hands,   the   most    skilful    boatman   being   at   the 


FREMONT'S   FIRST   TRIP   TO   THE   ROCKY   MOUNTAINS       55 

bow,  and  again  we  commenced  our  rapid  descent.  We 
cleared  rock  after  rock,  shot  past  fall  after  fall,  om- 
little  boat  seeming  to  play  with  the  cataract.  We 
became  flushed  with  success  and  familiar  with  the 
danger,  and  yielding  ourselves  to  the  excitement  of  the 
occasion,  broke  forth  together  into  a  Canadian  boat- 
song.  Singing,  or  rather  shouting,  we  dashed  along 
and  were  in  the  midst  of  the  chorus,  when  the  boat 
struck  a  concealed  rock  at  the  foot  of  a  fall,  which 
whirled  her  over  in  an  instant.  My  first  feeling  was 
to  assist  the  men,  and  save  some  of  the  effects.  But 
a  sharp  concussion  or  two  convinced  me  that  I  had 
not  yet  saved  myself.  A  few  strokes  brought  me  into 
an  eddy,  and  I  landed  on  a  pile  of  rocks  on  the  left  side. 
Mr.  Preuss  had  gained  the  shore  on  the  opposite  side, 
about  twenty  yards  below.  On  the  other  side,  against 
the  wall,  lay  the  boat,  bottom  side  up.  Lambert  (one 
of  the  men)  was  in  the  act  of  saving  Descoteau,  whom 
he  grasped  by  the  hair. 

"  For  a  hundred  yards  below,  the  current  was  cov- 
ered with  floating  books  and  boxes,  bales  and  blankets, 
and  scattered  articles  of  clothing.  So  strong  and  boil- 
ing was  the  stream  that  even  our  heavy  instruments, 
which  were  all  in  cases,  kept  on  the  surface,  and  the 
sextant,  circle,  and  the  long  black  box  of  the  telescope 
were  at  once  in  view.     All  our  books  and  almost  every 


50  I'lONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

record  of  the  journey  had  been  lost  in  a  moment.  But 
it  was  no  time  to  indulge  in  regrets.  I  immediately 
set  about  trying  to  save  something  from  the  wreck. 
Making  ourselves  understood  as  well  as  possible  by  signs 
—  for  nothing  could  be  heard  in  the  roar  of  waters  — 
we  commenced  operations.  Of  everything  on  board,  the 
only  article  that  had  been  saved  was  my  double-barrelled 
gun,  which  Descoteau  liad  caught  and  clung  to  with 
drowning  tenacity.  The  men  kept  down  the  river  on 
the  left  baiik.  Basil,  with  a  paddle  in  liis  hand,  jumped 
into  the  boat  alone  and  continued  down  the  canon.  She 
was  now  light,  and  cleared  every  bad  place  with  nnich 
less  difficulty.  In  a  short  time  he  was  joined  by  Lam- 
bert, and  the  search  was  kept  up  for  a  mile  and  a  half, 
which  was  as  far  as  the  boat  could  go.  Here  the  walls 
were  about  five  hundred  feet  high,  and  the  fragments 
of  rocks  from  above  had  choked  the  river  into  a  hollow 
pass.  Through  this,  and  between  the  rocks,  the  water 
found  its  way.  Favored  beyond  our  expectations,  all  our 
journals  l)ut  one  had  been  recovered.  Other  journals, 
however,  contained  duplicates  of  the  one  lost.  Besides 
these,  we  saved  the  circle  and  a  few  l)lankets. 

"  The  day  was  running  rapidly  away,  and  it  was  neces- 
sary to  reach  Goat  Island  below,  whither  the  other  party 
had  preceded  us,  before  night.  Should  anything  have 
occurred  in  the  brief  interval  of  our  separation  to   pre- 


FREMONT  S   FIRST    TRIP    TO   THE   ROCKY    MOUNTAINS        07 

vent  our  rejoining  them,  our  situation  would  l^e  rather 
a  desperate  one.  We  had  not  a  morsel  of  provisions, 
our  arms  and  ammunition  were  gone,  so  that  we  were  in 
danger  of  starvation,  and  were  entirely  at  the  mercy  of 
any  straggling  party  of  savages.  We  set  out  at  once 
in  two  parties,  Mr.  Preuss  and  myself  on  the  left,  and 
the  men  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river.  Climbing 
out  of  the  canon,  we  found  ourselves  in  a  very  broken 
country,  interrupted  with  ravines  and  ridges  which  made 
our  walk  extremely  fatiguing.  At  one  point  of  the 
caiion  the  red  sandstone  rose  in  a  wall  of  five  hundred 
feet,  surmounted  by  a  stratum  of  white  sandstone.  In 
an  opposite  ravine  a  column  of  red  sandstone  rose  in 
form  like  a  steeple,  about  150  feet  high.  The 
scenery  was  extremely  picturesrpie,  and,  in  spite  of 
our  forlorn  condition,  ^ve  were  frequently  obliged  to 
admire  it.  Our  progress  was  not  very  rapid.  We  had 
emerged  from  the  water  half  naked,  and  on  arriving  at 
the  top  of  the  precipice  I  found  myself  with  oidy  one 
moccasin.  The  fragments  of  I'ock  made  walking  pain- 
ful, and  I  was  frequently  obliged  to  stop  and  pull  out 
the  thorns  of  the  cactus,  here  the  prevailing  plant,  and 
with  which  a  few  minutes'  walk  covered  the  bottoms 
of  mv  feet.  From  this  ridue  and  canon  the  river  emersred 
into  a  smiling  prairie,  and,  descending  to  the  bank  of 
the  river,  we  were  joined  by  Benoist.     The  rest  of    the 


58  PIONEERS   OF   THE    WEST 

other  party  were  out  of  sight.  We  crossed  the  river  re- 
peatedly, sometimes  able  to  ford  it,  and  sometimes  swim- 
ming, climbing  over  two  more  ridges,  through  which 
the  river  cut  its  way,  in  canons,  and  toward  evening 
reached  the  cut  made  by  the  river,  which  we  named  the 
Hot  Spring  Gate. 

"  As  we  entered  this  cut,  Mr.  Preuss  was  a  few  hun- 
dred feet  in  advance.  Heated  with  the  long  march,  he 
came  suddenly  upon  a  fine  bold  spring,  gushing  from  tlie 
rock  about  ten  feet  above  the  river.  Eager  to  enjoy 
the  crystal  water,  he  threw  himself  down  for  a  hasty 
draught,  and  took  a  mouthful  of  almost  boiling  water. 
We  had  no  thermometer  to  ascertain  the  temperature, 
but  I  could  hold  my  hand  in  the  water  just  long  enough 
to  count  two  seconds.  There  are  eight  or  ten  of  these 
springs  discharging  themselves  by  streams  large  enough 
to  be  called  runs.  A  loud  noise  was  heard  from  the 
rock,  which  I  suppose  to  be  produced  by  the  fall  of  the 
water.  After  a  short  walk  beyond  this  cut,  Ave  reached 
a  red  ridge  through  which  the  river  passed,  just  above 
Goat  Island."  At  Goat  Island  they  expected  to  meet 
all  their  party  in  camp  again. 

"Ascending  this  ridge,  we  found  fresh  tracks  and  a  but- 
ton, which  showed  that  the  other  men  had  already  arrived. 
A  shout  from  the  men  who  had  first  reached  the  top  of 
the  ridge,  responded  to  from  below,  informed  us  that  our 


FREMONT  S    FIRST    TlllV    TO    THE    ROCKY    MOUNTAINS        ^9 

friends  were  all  on  the  island,  and  we  were  soon  among 
them.  We  found  some  pieces  of  buffalo  standing  around 
the  fire  for  us,  and  managed  to  get  some  dry  clothes  among 
the  people.  A  sudden  storm  of  rain  drove  us  into  the 
best  shelter  we  could  find,  where  we  slept  soundly  after 
one  of  the  most  fatiguing  days  I  have  ever  experienced." 
Fremont  and  his  party  returned  by  way  of  the  Platte 
River  and  the  Missouri  to  St.  Louis,  which  he  reached 
October  17th.  Twelve  days  later  he  was  in  Washington, 
where  his  report  of  the  expedition  was  soon  in  the 
hands  of  the  government. 


CHAPTER  ITI 

FREMONT'S  TRIP  TO   SALT  LAKE  AND  CALIFORNIA  i 

Fremont,  with  thirty-nine  men,  in  1843  set  out  from 
St.  Louis  for  a  second  trip,  with  the  purpose  of  crossing 
the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  to 
see  whether  a  good  road  to  the  Pacific  could  be  opened. 
Besides  rifles  and  pistols,  his  men  carried  with  them  from 
St.  Louis  a  twelve-pound  howitzer.  They  had  twelve  carts 
drawn  by  mules  for  their  provisions  and  baggage,  and  a 
light  spring  wagon,  covered,  for  the  instruments,  such  as  a 
telescope,  circles,  sextants,  chronometers,  barometers,  ther- 
mometers, and  compasses.  Two  Delaware  Indians  joined 
the  expedition  as  hunters,  also  Kit  Carson.  The  expedi- 
tion passed  up  the  Kansas  River,  then  crossed  over  to 
the  Arkansas,  which  they  followed  through  the  Royal 
Gorge  into  the  mountains. 

Fremont  and  his  party  had  set  out  from  a  town  of 
Kansas,  May  29,  1843.  September  6,  after  travelling 
seventeen  hundred  miles  across  the  plains  and  through 
the  mountains,  he  came  into  the  region  of  Great  Salt 
Lake.  This  had  never  been  well  explored  by  white  men. 
A  high  hill  or  butte  at  some  distance  was  to  be  reached, 

^  Authority :  Fremont's  Diary,  and  his  Report  to  the  Government. 

60 


RovAL  Gorge  of  the  Arkansas 


62  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

from  wliich  tliey  lioped  to  get  a  sight  of  the  lake.  "We 
reached  the  butte  without  difficulty,  and  climbing  to  the 
top  at  once,  at  our  feet  we  beheld  the  object  of  our 
anxious  search,  the  waters  of  the  inland  sea,  stretching 
in  solitary  grandeur  far  beyond  the  limit  of  our  vision. 
It  was  one  of  the  great  points  of  the  exploration,  and 
we  eagerly  looked  over  the  lake  in  excited  surprise.  It 
was  certainly  a  magnificent  object,  and  to  travellers  long 
shut  up  among  mountain  ranges  a  sudden  view  over  the 
expanse  of  Avaters  had  in  it  something  sublime.  Several 
islands  raised  their  high  rocky  peaks  out  of  the  waves, 
but  whether  or  not  they  were  timbered  was  still  left 
to  our  imagination,  as  the  distance  was  too  great  to 
determine. 

"During  the  day  the  clouds  had  been  getting  black 
over  the  mountains  to  the  westward,  and  while  we  were 
looking  a  storm  burst  down  with  sudden  fury  upon  the 
lake  and  entirely  hid  the  islands  from  our  view.  So  far 
as  we  could  see  along  the  shore  there  was  not  a  solitary 
tree  and  but  little  appearance  of  grass. 

"  On  Weber's  Fork  (a  stream  100  to  150  feet  wide),  a 
few  miles  below  our  last  encampment,  the  timber  was 
gathered  into  groves  and  then  disappeared  entirely.  As 
this  appeared  the  nearest  point  to  the  lake  where  a  suit- 
able camp  could  be  found,  we  directed  our  course  to  one  of 
the  groves,  where  we  found  good  grass  and  abundance  of 


Fremont's  trip  to  salt  lake  and  California      68 

rushes.  The  next  day  was  spent  in  active  preparation  for 
our  intended  voyage  on  the  lake.  On  the  edge  of  the 
stream  a  favorable  spot  was  selected  in  a  grove,  and  fell- 
ing the  timber,  we  made  a  strong  corral  or  horse-pen  for 
the  animals  and  a  little  fort  for  the  people  who  were  to 
remain. 

"  AYe  were  now  probably  in  the  country  of  the  Utah 
Indians,  though  none  reside  upon  the  lake.  The  India- 
rubber  boat  was  repaired  with  prepared  cloth  and  gum 
and  filled  wdth  air  in  readiness  for  the  next  day.  Mr. 
Preuss,  Carson,  myself,  and  two  Frenchmen  had  been 
selected  for  the  boat  expedition  —  the  first  ever  attempted 
by  white  men  on  this  lake.  The  summer  frogs  were  sing- 
ing round  us,  and  the  evening  was  very  pleasant.  The 
provisions  which  Carson  had  brought  with  him  being 
nearly  exhausted,  our  stock  was  reduced  to  a  small  quan- 
tity of  roots.  For  our  supper  we  had  yampah,  the  most 
agreeably  flavored  of  roots,  seasoned  by  a  small  fat  duck 
which  had  come  in  the  way  of  Jacob's,  the  colored  man's, 
rifle.  Around  our  camp-fire  were  many  guesses  about  the 
morrow  and  the  islands  which  we  expected  to  visit, 
whether  they  were  wooded  and  abounding  in  game.  The 
Indians  and  hunters  had  told  of  whirlpools  and  strange 
dangers  on  the  lake.  The  men  had  discovered  that  the 
boat,  instead  of  being  strongly  sewed  (like  that  of  the 
previous  year,  Avhich  so  triumphantly  rode  the  course  of 


64  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

the  ujDper  Great  Platte),  was  only  pasted  together  in  a 
very  insecure  manner,  This  increased  with  us  the  sense 
of  danger.  In  the  boat  were  placed  three  air-tight  bags 
about  three  feet  long  and  holding  five  gallons  each. 
These  were  filled  with  water  and  were  placed  in  the  boat 
with  our  blankets  and  instruments,  consisting  of  a  sex- 
tant, telescope,  spy-glass,  thermometer,  and  barometer. 

"  We  left  our  camp  at  sunrise  and  had  a  very  pleasant 
voyage  down  the  river,  which  deepened  as  we  neared  the 
mouth  in  the  latter  part  of  the  day.  In  the  course  of  the 
morning  we  discovered  that  two  of  the  cylinders  leaked 
so  much  as  to  require  one  constantly  at  the  bellows  to 
keep  them  sufficiently  full  of  air  to  support  the  boat. 
Although  we  had  made  a  very  early  start,  we  loitered  so 
much  on  the  way  —  stopping  every  now  and  then  and 
floating  silently  along  to  get  a  shot  at  a  goose  or  duck  — 
that  it  was  late  in  the  day  when  we  reached  the  outlet. 
The  river  here  divided  into  several  branches  and  was  so 
very  shallow  that  it  was  with  difficulty  that  we  could  get 
the  boat  along,  being  obliged  to  get  out  and  wade.  We 
encamped  on  a  low  point  among  rushes  and  willows. 
Geese  and  ducks  enough  had  been  killed  for  an  abundant 
supper  at  night  and  for  breakfast  the  next  morning.  The 
stillness  of  the  night  was  enlivened  by  millions  of  water- 
fowl. We  hurried  through  our  breakfast  in  order  to 
make  an  early  start  and  have  all  the  day  before  us  for 


Fremont's  trip  to  salt  lake  and  California      65 

our  adventure.  The  cliaunel  in  a  short  distance  became 
so  shallow  that  our  navigation  was  at  an  end,  being 
merely  a  sheet  of  soft  mud  with  a  few  inches  of  water, 
and  sometimes  none  at  all,  forming  the  low-water  shore 
of  the  lake.  All  this  place  was  absolutely  covered  with 
flocks  of  screaming  plover.  We  took  off  our  clothes  and 
getting  overboard  commenced  dragging  the  boat,  making 
by  this  operation  a  very  curious  trail.  After  proceeding 
in  this  way  about  a  mile  we  came  to  a  black  ridge  on  the 
bottom,  iDcyond  which  the  water  became  suddenly  salt, 
beginning  gradually  to  deepen,  and  the  bottom  was  sandy 
and  firm.  It  was  a  remarkable  division,  separating  the 
fresh  waters  from  the  lake,  which  was  entirely  saturated 
with  common  salt.  Pushing  our  little  vessel  across  this 
narrow  boundary,  we  sprang  on  board  and  at  length  were 
afloat  on  the  waters  of  the  unknown  sea. 

"  We  did  not  steer  for  the  mountainous  island,  but  held 
our  course  for  a  lower  one,  which  it  had  been  decided  we 
should  first  visit.  So  long  as  we  could  touch  the  bottom 
with  our  paddles  we  were  very  gay,  but  gradually,  as  the 
water  deepened,  we  became  more  still  in  our  frail  bateau 
of  gvmi  cloth  distended  with  air  and  with  pasted  seams. 
The  water  continued  to  deepen  as  we  advanced  ;  the  lake 
becoming  almost  transparently  clear,  of  an  extremely 
beautiful  bright  green  color  and  the  spray  which  was 
thrown  into  our  boat  and  over  our  clothes  was  directly 


66  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

converted  into  a  crust  of  common  salt  which  covered  om^ 
hands  and  arms. 

"  The  form  of  the  boat  seemed  to  be  an  admirable  one, 
and  it  rode  on  the  waves  like  a  water-bird.  At  the  same 
time  it  was  slow  in  its  progress.  When  w^e  were  little 
more  than  halfway  across,  two  of  the  divisions  between 
the  cylinders  gave  way,  and  it  required  the  constant 
use  of  the  bellows  to  keep  in  a  sufficient  quantity  of  air. 
For  a  long  time  we  scarcely  seemed  to  approach  the 
island,  but  gradually  worked  our  way  across  the  rougher 
sea  into  the  smoother  water,  under  the  lee  of  the  island. 
It  was  a  handsome  broad  beach  where  we  landed,  behind 
which  rose  a  hill.  We  did  not  suffer  our  boat  to  touch 
the  sharp  rocks,  but  getting  overboard,  discharged  the 
baggage,  and  lifting  it  gently  out  of  the  water,  carried 
it  to  the  upper  part  of  the  beach,  which  was  composed  of 
small  fragments  of  rock.  As  there  was  an  abundance 
of  driftwood  along  the  shore  it  offered  us  a  pleasant 
encampment.  The  cliffs  and  masses  of  rock  along  the 
shore  were  whitened  by  an  incrustation  of  salt  where 
the  waves  dashed  up  against  them,  and  the  evaporating 
water  that  had  been  left  in  holes  and  hollows  on  the 
surface  of  the  rocks  was  covered  with  a  crust  of  salt 
about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  in  thickness.  It  appeared 
strange  that  in  the  midst  of  this  grand  reservoir  one  of 
our  greatest  wants  lately  had  been  salt.     Exposed  to  be 


Fremont's  trip  to  salt  lake  and  California      67 

more  perfectly  dried  in  the  sun,  this  became  very  white 
and  fine,  having  the  usual  flavor  of  very  excellent 
common  salt,  without  any  foreign  taste. 

"  Carrying  with  us  the  barometer  and  other  instruments, 
in  the  afternoon  we  climbed  to  the  liighest  point  of  the 
island,  —  a  bare,  rocky  peak  eight  hundred  feet  above  the 
lake.  Standing  on  the  summit,  we  enjoyed  a  broad  view  of 
the  lake,  enclosed  in  a  basin  of  rugged  mountains,  which 
sometimes  left  marshy  flats  and  wide  bottoms  between  them 
and  the  shore.  To  the  southward  several  peninsular  moun- 
tains three  or  four  thousand  feet  high  entered  the  lake, 
appearing,  so  far  as  the  distance  and  our  position  enabled 
us  to  determine,  to  be  connected  by  flats  and  low  ridges 
with  the  mountains  in  the  rear.  As  we  looked  over  the 
vast  expanse  of  waters  spread  out  beneath  us,  and 
strained  our  eyes  along  the  silent  shores,  over  which  hung 
so  much  doubt  and  uncertainty  and  which  were  so  full 
of  interest  to  us,  I  could  hardly  repress  the  great  desire  to 
explore  farther.  But  the  lengthening  snow  on  the  moun- 
tains was  a  plain  proof  of  the  advancing  season,  and  our 
frail  linen  boat  appeared  so  insecure  that  I  was  unwilling 
to  trust  our  lives  to  the  dangers  of  the  lake.  I,  therefore, 
unwillingly  resolved  to  end  our  survey  here,  and  to  be 
satisfied  for  the  present  with  what  we  had  been  able, 
already,  to  add  to  the  unknown  geography  of  this  region. 
We  felt  pleasure  also,  in  remembering  that  we  were  the 


68  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

first  in  the  history  of  the  country  who  had  visited  the 
islands  and  broken  with  the  cheerful  sound  of  human 
voices  the  long  solitude  of  the  place.  From  the  point 
where  we  were  standing  the  ground  fell  off  on  every  side 
to  the  water,  giving  us  a  perfect  view  of  the  island,  which 
is  twelve  or  thirteen  miles  in  circumference,  being  simply 
a  rocky  hill  on  which  there  is  neither  water  nor  trees  of 
any  kind,  but  several  large  shrubs  and  plants  in  abun- 
dance. Out  of  the  driftwood  we  made  ourselves  pleasant 
little  lodges,  open  to  the  water,  and  after  having  kindled 
large  fires  to  excite  the  wonder  of  any  straggling  savage 
on  the  lake  shores,  we  lay  down  for  the  first  time  in  our 
long  journey  in  perfect  security,  no  one  thinking  about 
his  arms.  The  evening  was  extremely  bright  and  pleas- 
ant, but  the  wiud  rose  during  the  night  and  the  waves 
began  to  break  heavily  on  the  shore,  making  our  island 
tremble.  I  had  not  expected  in  our  inland  journey  to 
hear  the  roar  of  the  ocean  surf,  and  the  strangeness 
of  our  situation  and  the  excitement  we  felt  made  this 
one  of  the  most  interesting  nights  during  our  long 
expedition."  The  next  morning,  although  the  water  was 
still  rough,  they  returned  to  the  main  shore  and  found 
their  friends  anxiously  waiting  for  them. 

Fremont  and  his  party  continued  their  long  journey 
north  and  west  through  mountains  and  deserts  till,  after 
nearly  two  months  from  the  time  of  leaving  Salt  Lake, 


I 


FREMONT  S   TRIP   TO    SALT    LAKE   AND   CALIFORNIA 


69 


November  4th,  they  reached  Fort  Vancouver  on  the 
Columbia  River.  Fremont  had  now  completed  the  work 
which  had  been  assigned  to  him  by  the  government,  but 
he  desired  to  undertake  a  still  greater  journey,  that  is, 
to  explore  the  region  of  country  between  Salt  Lake  and 


The  Desert  Vegetation  in  the  Far  West 

California,  which  is  now  known  as  the  Great  Basin. 
People  knew  scarcely  anything  about  it  and  supposed  there 
was  a  great  river,  the  Buenaventura,  flowing  westward 
from  near  Salt  Lake,  cutting  through  the  mountains  and 
flowing  into  the  Pacific  at  San  Francisco. 

On   the    10th   of   November,  only  six   days    after    his 
arrival  at  Fort  Vancouver,  Fremont's  party  was  ready  to 


70  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

set  out  on  this  second  expedition.  It  was  just  beginning 
winter  and  a  very  dangerous  time  to  attempt  it.  There 
were  twenty-five  persons  with  horses  and  mules.  All 
knew  that  a  strange  country  was  to  be  explored  and 
dangers  and  hardships  to  be  met,  but  no  one  blenched 
at  the  prospect. 

"They  travelled  first  southward  till  they  reached  Lake 
Tlamath  (Klamath),  then,  skirting  the  mountains  about 
the  middle  of  December,  they  had  crossed  over  to  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  advancing  southward. 

"  In  the  latter  part  of  January  they  were  toiling  along 
among  the  mountain  ridges  through  the  snow  and,  finally, 
had  to  leave  behind  the  twelve-poimd  howitzer. 

"January  29  several  Indians  appeared  on  the  hill- 
sides, reconnoitring  the  camp,  and  were  induced  to  come 
in.  Others  came  in  during  the  afternoon,  and  in  the 
evening  we  held  a  council.  The  Indians  immediately 
made  it  plain  that  the  waters  on  which  we  were  also 
belong  to  the  Great  Basin,  in  the  edge  of  which  we  had 
been  travelling.  It  now  became  evident  that  we  still  had 
the  great  ridge  on  the  right  to  cross  before  we  could 
reach  the  Pacific  waters.  We  explained  to  the  Indians 
that  we  were  endeavoring  to  find  a  passage  across  the 
mountains  into  the  country  of  the  whites  whom  we  were 
going  to  see  and  told  them  that  we  wished  them  to  bring 
us  a  guide,  to  whom  we  would  give  presents  of  scarlet 


FREMONT'S   TRIP   TO    SALT   LAKE   AND    CALIFORNIA         71 

cloth  and  other  articles  which  were  shown  them.  They 
looked  at  the  reward  we  offered  and  conferred  with  each 
other,  but  pointed  to  the  snow  on  the  mountains,  drew 
their  hands  across  their  necks,  and  raised  them  above 
their  heads,  to  show  the  depth ;  signifying  that  it  was 
impossible  to  get  through.  They  made  signs  that  we 
must  go  to  the  southward,  over  a  pass,  through  a  lower 
range  which  they  pointed  out.  There,  they  said,  at  the 
end  of  one  day's  travel,  we  would  find  people  who  lived 
near  a  pass  in  the  great  mountain  ;  and  to  that  point  they 
engaged  to  furnish  us  a  guide. 

"  Once,  they  told  us,  about  two  years  ago,  a  party 
of  twelve  men  like  ourselves  had  gone  up  the  river, 
and  crossed  to  the  other  waters.  They  pointed  out  to 
us  where  they  had  crossed  ;  but  then,  they  said,  it  was 
summer-time ;  but  now  it  could  not  be  done. 

"The  Indians  brought  in  during  the  evening  an 
abundant  supply  of  pine  nuts,  which  we  traded  from 
them.  When  roasted,  their  pleasant  flavor  made  an 
agreeable  addition  to  our  now  scanty  store  of  provi- 
sions. Our  principal  stock  was  in  peas,  wdiich,  it  is 
not  necessary  to  say,  contain  scarcely  any  nutriment. 
We  had  still  a  little  flour  left,  a  little  coffee,  and  a 
quantity  of  sugar,  which  I  reserved  as  a  defence  against 
starvation. 

"  The  Indians  told  us  that  at  certain  seasons  thev  have 


72  PIONEERS   OP   THE   WEST 

fish  iu  their  waters,  which  we  supposed  to  be  salmon- 
trout  ;  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  they  Hve  upon 
the  pine-nuts  which  form  their  great  winter  food  —  a 
portion  being  always  at  hand,  shut  up  in  the  natural 
storehouse  of  the  cones.  At  present  this  whole  people 
seemed  to  be  living  on  this  simple  vegetable. 

"  Our  guide,  who  was  a  young  man,  joined  us  the 
next  morning.  Leaving  our  encampment  late  in  the 
day,  we  descended  the  river.  With  our  late  start  we 
made  but  ten  miles  and  encamped  in  the  lower  river 
bottom  where  there  was  no  snow,  but  a  great  deal  of 
ice.  We  cut  piles  of  long  grass  to  lay  under  our 
blankets,  and  fires  were  made  of  the  large  dry  willows, 
groves  of  which  wooded  the  stream. 

"January  31  we  took  our  way  over  a  gently  rising 
ground,  the  dividing  ridge  being  tolerably  low ;  and 
travelling  easily  along  a  broad  trail,  in  twelve  or  four- 
teen miles  reached  the  upper  part  of  the  pass,  when  it 
began  to  snow  thickly,  with  very  cold  weather.  The 
Indians  had  only  the  usual  scanty  covering,  and  ap- 
peared to  suffer  greatly  from  the  cold.  All  the  Indians 
left  us  except  our  guide.  Half  hidden  by  the  storm, 
the  mountains  looked  dreary,  and  as  night  began  to 
approach,  the  guide  showed  great  reluctance  to  go  for- 
ward. I  placed  him  between  two  rifles,  for  the  way 
be^an    to    be    difiicult.     Travelling    a    little    farther,  we 


FREMONT'S   TRIP    TO    SALT    LAKE    AND   CALIFORNIA         73 

struck  a  ravine,  which  the  guide  said  would  lead  us  to 
the  river ;  and  as  the  poor  fellow  suffered  greatly, 
shivering  in  the  cold  which  fell  upon  his  naked  skin, 
I  would  not  detain  him  any  longer,  and  he  ran  off  to 
the  mountains  where  he  said  there  was  a  hut  near  by. 
He  had  kept  the  blue  and  scarlet  cloths  I  had  given 
him  tightly  rolled  up,  preferring  rather  to  endure  the 
cold  than  to  get  them  wet.  In  the  course  of  the  after- 
noon one  of  the  men  had  his  foot  frost-bitten ;  and 
about  dark  we  had  the  satisfaction  to  reach  the  bottom 
of  a  stream  timbered  with  large  trees,  among  which 
we  found  a  sheltered  camp,  with  an  abundance  of  such 
grass  as  the  season  afforded  for  the  animals.  This  we 
felt  sure  was  the  central  ridge  of  the  Sierra  Nevada, 
the  great  California  mountains,  which  only  now  lay  be- 
tween us  and  the  bay.  Up  to  this  point,  with  the 
exception  of  two,  stolen  by  the  Indians,  we  had  lost 
none  of  the  horses  brought  from  the  Columbia  River. 
We  had  now  sixty-seven  animals  in  the  band. 

"We  had  scarcely  lighted  our  fires,  when  the  camp 
was  crowded  with  nearly  naked  Indians.  Some  of  them 
were  furnished  with  long  nets,  in  addition  to  bows,  and 
appeared  to  have  been  out  on  the  sage  liills  to  hunt 
"  rabbits.  These  nets  were  perhaps  thirty  to  forty  feet 
long,  kept  upright  in  the  ground  by  slight  sticks  at 
intervals,  and  made    from  a  kind  of   wild    hemp.     They 


74  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

came  among  us  without  fear,  and  scattered  themselves 
about  the  fires,  mainly  occupied  in  gratifying  their 
astonishment.  I  was  struck  by  the  singular  looks  of  a 
dozen  who  were  sitting  on  their  haunches,  perched  on 
a  log  near  one  of  the  fires,  with  their  quick  sharp  eyes 
following  every  motion. 

"  We  gathered  together  a  few  of  the  more  intelligent  of 
the  Indians  and  held  this  evening  an  interesting  council. 
I  explained  to  them  my  intentions.  I  told  them  that  we 
had  come  from  a  very  far  country,  having  been  travelling 
now  nearly  a  year,  and  that  we  were  desirous  simply  to 
go  across  the  mountain  into  the  country  of  the  other 
whites.  There  were  two  who  appeared  very  intelligent,  — 
one  a  somewhat  old  man.  He  told  me  that,  before  the 
snows  fell,  it  was  six  sleeps  to  the  place  where  the  whites 
lived,  but  that  now  it  was  impossible  to  cross  the  moun- 
tain on  account  of  the  deep  snow,  showing  us,  as  the 
others  had  done,  that  it  was  over  our  heads ;  he  urged  us 
strongly  to  follow  the  course  of  the  river,  which  he  said 
would  conduct  us  to  a  lake  in  wliich  there  were  many 
large  fish.  There,  he  said,  were  many  people ;.  there  was 
no  snow  on  the  ground,  and  we  might  remain  there  until 
the  spring.  From  their  description  we  were  enabled  to 
judge  that  we  were  encamped  on  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Salmon  Trout  River.  Our  talk  was  entirely  by  signs,  but 
they  spoke  also  rapidly  and  excitedly.    "  Tah-ve,"  a  word 


FREjMONT's   trip   to    salt   lake   and   CALIFORNIA         75 

meaning  snow,  we  very  soon  learned  to  kno^y,  from  its 
frequent  repetition.  I  told  him  that  the  men  and  hoi;ses 
were  strong,  and  that  we  would  break  a  road  through  the 
snow.  Si^reading  before  him  our  bales  of  scarlet  cloth 
and  trinkets,  I  showed  him  what  we  would  give  for  a 
guide.  It  was  necessary  to  obtain  one  if  possible,  for  I 
had  determined  here  to  attempt  the  passage  of  the  moun- 
tain. Pulling  a  bunch  of  grass  from  the  ground,  after  a 
short  discussion  among  themselves,  the  old  man  made  us 
comprehend,  that  if  we  could  break  through  the  snow,  at 
the  end  of  three  days  we  would  come  down  upon  grass, 
which  he  showed  us  would  be  about  six  inches  high.  So 
far,  he  said,  he  had  been  in  hunting  for  elk ;  but  beyond 
that  (and  he  closed  his  eyes)  he  had  seen  nothing ;  but 
there  was  one  among  them  who  had  l^een  to  the  whites, 
and,  going  out  of  the  lodge,  he  returned  with  a  young 
man  of  very  intelligent  appearance.  Here,  said  he,  is  a 
young  man  Avho  has  seen  the  whites  with  his  own  eyes, 
and  he  swore,  first  by  the  sky,  and  then  by  the  ground, 
that  what  he  said  was  true.  With  a  large  present  of 
goods  we  prevailed  upon  this  young  man  to  be  our  guide. 
He  was  thinly  clad  and  nearly  barefoot,  his  moccasins 
being  nearly  worn  out.  We  gave  him  skins  to  make  a 
new  pair,  and  to  enable  him  to  perform  his  undertaking  to 
us.  The  Indians  remained  in  camp  during  the  night,  and 
we  kept  two  others  to  sleep  in  the  lodge  with  us,  —  Carson 


76  PIONEEllS    OF   THE   WEST 

lying  across  the  door,  and  having  made  them  understand 
the  use  of  our  firearms.  The  snow,  which  had  stopped  in 
the  evening,  commenced  falling  again  in  the  course  of  the 
night,  and  it  snowed  steadily  all  the  day. 

"  In  the  morning  I  acquainted  the  men  with  my  decision, 
and  explained  to  them  that  necessity  required  us  to  make 
a  great  effort  to  clear  the  mountains.  I  reminded  them 
of  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Sacramento,  with  which 
they  were  familiar  from  the  descriptions  of  Carson,  who 
had  been  there  fifteen  years  before,  and  who,  in  our  late 
privations,  had  delighted  us  in  speaking  of  its  rich  pas- 
tures and  abounding  game,  and  drew  a  vivid  contrast 
between  its  summer  climate,  less  than  one  hundred  miles 
distant,  and  the  falling  snow  around  us.  I  informed  them 
(and  long  experience  had  given  them  confidence  in  my 
observations  and  good  instruments)  that  almost  directly 
west,  and  only  about  seventy  miles  distant,  was  the  great 
farm  of  Captain  Sutter.  I  told  them  that,  from  the 
heights  of  the  mountains  before  us,  we  should  doubtless 
see  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento  River,  and  with  one  effort 
place  ourselves  again  in  the  midst  of  plenty.  The  people 
received  this  decision  with  cheerful  obedience,  and  the  day 
following  was  given  to  preparation  for  tlie  journey.  Leg- 
gings, moccasins,  clothing,  all  were  put  in  the  best  state 
to  resist  the  cold.  Our  guide  was  not  neglected.  Ex- 
treme suffering  might  make  him  desert.    Leggings,  mocca- 


Fremont's  trip  to  salt  lake  and  California      77 

sins,  some  articles  of  clothing,  and  a  large  gam  blanket,  in 
addition  to  the  blue  and  scarlet  cloth,  were  lavished  nj^on 
him,  and  to  his  great  and  evident  contentment.  He 
arrayed  himself  in  all  his  colors.  Clad  in  green,  blue, 
and  scarlet,  he  made  a  gay-looking  Indian,  and  with  his 
various  presents  was  probably  richer  and  better  clothed 
than  any  of  his  tribe  had  ever  been  before.  I  have 
already  said  that  our  provisions  were  very  low.  We  had 
neither  tallow  nor  grease  of  any  kind  remaining,  and  the 
want  of  salt  became  one  of  our  greatest  privations.  The 
poor  dog  wliich  had  been  found  in  Bear  River  Valley,  and 
had  been  our  companion  ever  since,  had  now  become  fat, 
and  the  mess  to  which  it  belonged  requested  })ermission 
to  kill  it.  Spread  out  on  the  snow,  the  meat  looked  very 
good,  and  it  made  a  strengthening  meal  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  camp.  Indians  brought  in  two  or  three  rab- 
bits during  the  day,  which  we  purchased  from  them. 

"  February  2.  It  had  ceased  sno^ving,  and  the  lower 
air  was  clear  and  frosty.  Six  or  seven  thousand  feet 
above,  the  peaks  of  the  Sierra  now  and  then  appeared 
among  the  rolling  clouds.  Crossing  the  river  (fiom  forty 
to  seventy  feet  wide)  on  the  ice,  we  at  once  commenced  the 
ascent  of  the  mountain  along  the  valley  of  a  branch  stream. 

"  The  snow  deepened  rapidly,  and  it  soon  became  neces- 
sary to  break  a  road.  For  this  purpose  a  party  of  ten 
men  was  formed,  mounted  on  the  strongest  horses,  each 


78  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

mail  ill  order  opening  the  road  on  foot  or  on  horseback, 
until  he  and  his  horse  were  tired  out,  when  he  stepped 
aside  and  another  took  his  place.  Travelling  higher  up, 
we  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  stream,  in  about  four 
feet  of  snow.  Near  by  Carson  found  an  open  hillside, 
where  the  wind  and  sun  had  melted  the  snow,  leaving 
exposed  enough  bunch-grass  for  the  animals  at  night. 
The  nut-jjines  were  now  giving  way  to  heavy  timber,  and 
there  were  some  pines  on  the  bottom,  around  the  roots  of 
which  the  sun  had  melted  away  the  snow.  Here  we  made 
our  camps  and  built  huge  fires." 

The  party  now  began  to  climb  the  ridges  leading  up  to 
the  main  range. 

*'  February  4.  I  went  ahead  early  w^ith  two  or  three 
men,  each  leading  a  horse  to  break  the  road.  We  were 
obliged  to  abandon  the  hollow  entirely,  and  work  along 
the  mountain  side,  which  was  very  steep,  and  the  snow 
covered  with  an  icy  crust.  We  cut  a  footing  as  we  ad- 
vanced, and  trampled  a  road  through  for  the  animals. 
But  occasionally  one  plunged  outside  the  trail  and  slid 
along  the  field  to  the  bottom,  a  hundred  yards  below. 

"  Toward  a  pass  which  the  guide  indicated  here,  we 
attempted  in  the  afternoon  to  force  a  road  ;  but  after 
laboriously  plunging  through  two  or  three  hundred  yards, 
our  best  horses  gave  out,  entirely  refusing  to  make  any 
further   effort,    and,    for   a  time,  we  were   brought  to  a 


80  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

complete  standstill.  The  guide  informed  us  that  we 
were  entering  the  deep  snow,  and  here  began  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  mountain.  To  him  and  almost  to  all,  our 
enterprise  seemed  hopeless.     I  returned  to  the  hollow. 

"  The  camp  had  been  occupied  all  the  day  in  endeavor- 
ing to  ascend  the  hill,  but  only  the  best  horses  had 
succeeded,  the  animals  generally  not  having  sufficient 
strength  to  bring  themselves  up  without  the  packs.  All 
the  line  of  road  between  this  and  the  springs  below 
was  strewed  with  camp-stores  and  equipage,  and  horses 
floundering  in  the  snow.  To-night  we  had  no  shelter, 
but  we  made  a  large  fire  around  the  trunk  of  one  of  the 
large  pines,  and  covering  the  snow  with  small  boughs, 
on  which  we  spread  our  blankets,  soon  made  ourselves 
comfortable.  The  night  was  very  bright  and  clear, 
though  the  thermometer  stood  ten  degrees  above  zero.  A 
strong  wind,  which  sprang  up  at  sundown,  made  it  in- 
tensely cold,  and  this  was  one  of  the  bitterest  nights 
during  the  journey. 

"  Two  Indians  joined  our ^party  here,  and  one  of  them, 
an  old  man,  immediately  began  to  harangue  us,  saying 
that  ourselves  and  animals  would  perish  in  the  snow, 
and  that  if  we  would  go  back,  he  would  show  us  another 
and  better  way  across  the  mountain.  We  had  now  be- 
gun to  understand  some  words,  and  with  the  aid  of  signs, 
easily  comprehended  tiie  old  man's  simple  ideas.     ^  Rock 


Fremont's  tkip  to  salt  lake  and  California      81 

upon  rock — rock  upon  rock,  —  snow  upon  snow  —  snow 
upon  snow,'  said  he.  'Even  if  you  get  over  the  snow, 
you  wdll  not  be  able  to  get  down  from  the  mountains.' 
He  made  us  the  sign  of  the  precipices,  and  showed  us 
how  the  feet  of  horses  woukl  slip,  and  throw  them  off 
from  the  narrow  trails  which  led  along  their  sides.  Our 
guide,  who  comprehended  better  than  we  did,  and  be- 
lieved our  situation  to  be  helpless,  covered  his  head 
with  his  blanket,  and  began  to  weep  and  lament.  The 
next  night  was  too  cold  to  sleep,  and  we  were  up  very 
early.  Our  guide  was  standing  by  the  fire  with  all  his 
finery  on.  Seeing  him  shiver  with  the  cold,  I  threw  on 
his  shoulders  one  of  my  blankets.  We  missed  him  a 
few  minutes  afterwards,  and  never  saw  him  again.  He 
had  deserted.  His  bad  faith  and  treachery  were  in 
perfect  keeping  with  my  estimate  of  Indian  character. 

"  While  a  portion  of  the  camp  was  occupied  in  bring- 
ing up  the  baggage  to  this  point,  the  remainder  were 
busied  in  making  sledges  and  snow-shoes.  I  had  de- 
termined to  explore  the  mountain  ahead,  and  the  sledges 
were  to  be  used  in  transporting  the  baggage.  The 
mountains  here  consist  of  white  granite. 

"On  February  6,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Fitzpatrick, 
I  set  out  with  a  scouting  party  on  snow-shoes.  We 
marched  all  in  single  file,  trampling  the  snow  as  heav- 
ily as  we  could.     Crossing  the  open  basin,  in  a  march 


82 


PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 


of  about  ten  miles  we  readied  the  top  of  one  of  the  peaks, 
to  the  left  of  the  pass  pointed  out  by  the  guide. 

"  Far  below  us  (to  the  west),  dim  in  the  distance,  was 
a  large  snowless  valley,  and  beyond  it  on  the  west,  at 
a  distance  of  a  hundred  miles,  was  a  low  range  of  moun- 
tains, which  Carson  recognized  with  delight  as  the 
mountains   bordering  the    coast.       '  There,'    said    he,    '  is 


A  Scene  in  the  High  Sierra 


the  little  mountain.  It  is  fifteen  years  ago  since  I  saw 
it,  but  I  am  just  as  sure  as  if  I  had  seen  it  yesterday.'  " 
(They  were  standing  on  the  sunnnit  of  the  Sierra  Ne- 
vada.) "  Between  us,  then,  and  this  low  coast  range 
was  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento :  and  no  one  not  with 
us  for  the  last  few  months  could  realize  the  delight 
with  which  we  at  last  looked  down  upon  it.     We  were 


Fremont's  trip  to  salt  lake  and  California      83 

at  a  great  height  above  the  valley  and  between  lis  and 
these  plams  extended  miles  of  snowy  fields  and  broken 
ridges  of  pine-covered  mountains.  After  a  day's  tramp 
of  twenty  miles  on  snow-shoes  we  returned  to  camp 
very  weary. 

"All  our  efforts  were  now  directed  to  getting  our 
animals  across  the  snow.  It  was  supposed  that  after 
all  the  bao;g;ao;e  had  been  drawn  with  the  sleiorhs  over 
the  trail  we  had  made,  it  would  be  hard  enough  to  bear 
our  animals.  At  several  places  between  this  point  and 
the  ridge,  w^e  had  discovered  some  grassy  spots,  where 
the  w^ind  and  sun  had  dispersed  the  snow  from  the 
hillsides,  and  these  were  to  form  resting-places  to  feed 
the  animals  for  a  night  in  their  passage  across.  On  our 
way  across  we  had  set  fire  to  several  broken  stumps  and 
dried  trees,  to  melt  holes  in  the  snow  for  the  camps.  Its 
general  depth  was  five  feet ;  but  we  passed  over  places 
where  it  was  twenty  feet  deep,  as  shown  by  the  trees." 

For  three  days  they  pushed  on  through  deep  snows 
toward  the  top  of  the  ridge. 

February  10  they  were  8050  feet  above  sea-level. 
"  The  forest  here  has  a  noble  appearance.  The  tall 
cedar  is  abundant ;  its  greatest  height  being  130  feet, 
and  circumference  twenty,  three  or  four  feet  above  the 
ground.  Here  for  the  first  time  was  seen  the  white  pine, 
of  which  there   are   some   magnificent   trees.     Hemlock- 


8-4  PIONEERS   OF    THE    WEST 

spruce  also  are  sometimes  found  eight  feet  in  diameter, 
four  feet  above  the  ground ;  but  in  ascending,  they  taper 
rapidly  to  less  than  one  foot  at  the  height  of  eighty  feet. 
The  white  spruce  is  frequent.  The  red  pine,  which  forms 
the  beautiful  forest  alons;  the  banks  of  the  Sierra  Nevada 
to  the  northward,  is  here  the  principal  tree,  not  more 
than  140  feet  high,  though  with  a  diameter  sometimes 
of  ten  feet. 

"  Putting  on  our  snow-shoes,  we  spent  the  afternoon 
in  exploring  a  road  ahead.  The  glare  of  the  snow, 
combined  with  great  fatigue,  had  rendered  many  of  the 
people  nearly  blind ;  but  we  were  fortunate  in  having 
some  black  silk  handkerchiefs,  which,  worn  as  veils, 
very  much  relieved  the  eye. 

"  On  February  11  high  wind  and  snow  nearly  cov- 
ered our  trail.  In  the  evening  I  received  a  message  from 
Mr.  Fitzpatrick,  telling  me  of  the  utter  failure  of  his 
attempt  to  get  our  mules  and  horses  over  the  snow. 
They  had  broken  through  the  half-hidden  trail  and  were 
plunging  about  or  half  buried  in  the  snow.  He  was  try- 
ing to  get  them  back  to  camp,  and  sent  to  me  for  in- 
structions. I  wrote  to  him  to  send  them  back  to  their 
old  pastures,  and,  after  having  made  mauls  and  shovels, 
turn  in  all  the  strength  of  his  party  to  open  and  beat 
a  road  through  the  snow,  strengthening  it  with  branches 
and  boughs  of  pine. 


FKEMONT  S    TKIP    TO    SALT   LAKE   AND    CALIFOllXIA         8o 

"  February  12  we  made  mauls,  and  worked  hard 
at  our  end  of  the  road  all  day.  We  worked  down  the 
face  of  the  hill,  to    meet    the  people  at   the  other  end. 

"  By  February  16  we  succeeded  in  getting  our  ani- 
mals safely  to  the  first  grassy  hills,  and  I  started  out 
with  Jacob  on  a  scouting  trip.  Passing  beyond  the 
ridge,  a  little  creek  was  found,  descending  toward  the 
Pacific,  which  was  followed  till  it  reached  a  breadth  of 
twenty  feet.  1  was  now  perfectly  satisfied  that  we 
had  struck  the  stream  on  which  Captain  Sutter  lived. 
After  a  hard  return  march  we  reached  camp  at  dark 
and  were  agreeably  surprised  with  the  sight  of  abun- 
dance of  salt.  Some  of  the  horsemen  had  gone  to  a 
neighboring  Indian  hut  for  pine-nuts,  and  had  found  a 
large  cake  of  salt,  which  the  Indians  had  brought  from 
the  other  side  of  the  mountain,  and  now  sold  to  us  for 
goods. 

"On  the  19th  the  people  were  occupied  in  making 
a  road  and  bringing  up  the  baggage,  and  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  next  day,  February  20,  1844,  we  encamped, 
with  the  animals  and  all  the  material  of  the  camp,  on  the 
summit  of  the  pass  in  the  dividing  ridge,  one  thousand 
miles  by  our  travelled  road  from  the  Dalles  of  the 
Columbia.  The  people  who  had  not  yet  been  to  this 
point  climbed  the  neighboring  peak  to  enjoy  a  look 
into  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento.     The  temperature  of 


86  PlOiXEEllS   OF    THE    WEST 

boiling  water  gave,  for  the  elevation  of  the  encamp- 
ment, 9338  feet  above  the  sea.  This  was  two  thousand 
feet  higher  than  the  South  Pass  in  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
and  some  of  the  peaks  in  view  rose  several  thousand 
feet  higher.  The  height  of  these  mountains  accounts 
for  the  Great  Basin,  and  the  system  of  small  lakes  and 
rivers  scattered  over  a  flat  country,  and  which  the  ex- 
tended and  lofty  range  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  prevents 
from  escaphig  to  the  Pacific  Ocean. 

"We  now  considered  ourselves  victorious  over  the 
mountain ;  having  only  the  descent  before  us,  and  the 
valley  under  our  eyes,  we  felt  strong  hope  that  we  should 
force  our  way  down.  Still  deep  fields  of  snow  lay 
between,  and  there  was  a  large  intervening  space  of 
rough-looking  mountains,  through  which  we  had  yet  to 
wind  our  way. 

"February  21.  Carson  roused  me  this  morning  with 
an  early  fire,  and  we  were  all  up  long  before  day,  in 
order  to  pass  the  snow-fields  before  the  sun  should  render 
the  crust  soft.  Passing;  alons;  a  ridge  which  commanded 
the  lake  on  our  right,  we  journeyed  over  open  ground  and 
hard-crusted  snow-fields  which  supported  the  animals,  and 
encamped  on  the  ridge,  after  a  journey  of  six  miles.  The 
grass  was  better  than  we  had  yet  seen. 

"  We  had  hard  and  doubtful  labor  yet  before  us,  as  the 
snow    appeared    to    be    heavier   when   the  timber   began 


FREMONT  S   TRIP    TO    SALT    LAKE    AND    CALIFORNIA         87 

further  clown.  Ascending  a  height,  we  traced  out  the 
best  line  we  could  for  the  next  day's  march,  and  had  at 
least  the  consolation  to  see  that  the  mountain  descended 
rapidly.  We  watched  the  clouds  anxiously,  fearing  a 
snow-storm.  Shortly  afterwards  we  heard  the  roll  of 
thunder,  and,  looking  toward  the  valley,  found  it  all 
enveloped  in  a  thunder-storm.  We  watched  its  prog- 
ress with  excited  feelings,  until  nearly  sunset,  w^hen  the 
sky  cleared  off  brightly,  and  we  saw  a  shining  line  of 
water  du-ecting  its  course  toward  another,  a  broader  and 
larger  sheet.  We  knew  these  could  be  no  other  than  the 
Sacramento  and  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco. 

"  February  22.  Our  breakfast  w^as  over  long  before 
day.  We  took  advantage  of  the  coolness  of  the  early 
morning  to  get  over  the  snow,  which  to-day  occurred  in 
deep  banks  among  the  timber;  but  we  searched  out  the 
coolest  places,  and  the  animals  passed  successfully  with 
their  loads  over  the  hard  crust.  Now  and  then  the 
delay  of  making  a  road  occasioned  much  labor  and  loss  of 
time.  In  the  after  part  of  the  day,  we  saw  before  us  a 
handsome  grassy  ridge  point ;  and  making  a  desperate 
push  over  a  snow-field  ten  to  fifteen  feet  deep,  we  happily 
succeeded  in  getting  the  camp  across,  and  encamped  on 
the  ridge,  after  a  march  of  three  miles. 

"  February  23,"  says  Fremont,  "  was  our  most  difficult 
day.     We  were  forced  off  the  ridge  by  the  quantity  of 


88  PIONEERS   OF   THE   WEST 

snow  among  the  timber,  and  obliged  to  take  to  the 
mountain  sides,  where  occasionally  rocks  and  a  southern 
exposure  afforded  us  a  chance  to  scramble  along.  But 
these  were  steep,  and  slippery  with  snow  and  ice,  and  the 
tough  evergreen  of  the  mountain  impeded  our  way,  tore 
our  skins,  and  , exhausted  our  patience.  Some  of  us  wore 
moccasins  so  smooth  and  slippery  that  we  could  not  keep 
to  our  feet,  and  generally  crawled  across  the  snow-beds. 
Axes  and  mauls  were  necessary  to-day  to  make  a  road 
through  the  snow. 

"  Going  ahead  with  Carson  to  reconnoitre  the  road,  we 
reached,  in  the  afternoon,  a  river  which  makes  the  outlet 
of  a  lake.  Carson  sprang  over,  clear  across  a  place  where 
the  stream  was  narrowed  among  the  rocks ;  but  the  smooth 
sole  of  my  moccasin  glanced  from  the  icy  rock,  and 
threw  me  into  tlie  river.  It  was  some  few  seconds  before 
I  could  recover  myself  in  the  current,  and  Carson,  think- 
ing me  hurt,  jumped  in  after  me,  and  we  both  had  an  icy 
bath.  Making  a  large  fire  on  the  bank,  after  we  had 
partially  dried  ourselves  we  went  back  to  meet  the  camp. 

"  Believing  that  the  difficulties  of  the  road  were 
passed,  and  leaving  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  to  follow  slowly,  as 
the  condition  of  the  animals  required,  I  started  ahead 
this  morning  with  a  party  of  eight.  We  took  with  us 
some  of  the  best  animals,  and  my  intention  was  to  proceed 
as   rapidly  as    possible  to  the  house  of   Mr.  Sutter,  and 


FREMONT'S   TRIP   TO   SALT    LAKE    AND    CALIFORNIA         89 

return  to  meet  the  party  with  a  supply  of  provisions  and 
fresh  animals. 

"  Following  the  river,  which  pursued  a  direct  westerly 
course  through  a  narrow  valley,  with  only  a  very  slight 
and  narrow  bottom-land,  we  made  twelve  miles.  On  a 
bench  of  the  hill  near  iDy  was  a  field  of  green  grass,  six 
inches  high,  into  which  the  animals  were  driven  and  fed 
with  great  delight.  Cedars  abounded,  and  we  measured 
one  28^  feet  in  circumference. 

"  February  26  we  continued  to  follow  the  stream,  the 
mountains  on  either  side  increasing  in  height  as  we 
descended,  and  shutting  up  the  river  narrowly  between 
precipices,  along  which  we  had  great  difficulty  to  get  our 
horses. 

"We  had  with  us  a  large  kettle,  and  a  mule  being 
killed  here,  his  head  was  boiled  in  it  for  several  hours, 
and  made  a  pleasant  soup  for  famished  people. 

"  Below,  precipices  on  the  river  forced  us  to  the  heights, 
wdiich  we  ascended  by  a  steep  spur  two  thousand  feet 
high. 

"  My  favorite  horse,  Proveau,  had  become  very  weak 
and  was  scarcely  able  to  bring  himself  to  the  top.  Trav- 
elling here  was  good,  except  in  crossing  the  ravines,  which 
were  narrow,  steep,  and  frequent.  We  caught  a  glimpse 
of  a  deer,  but  could  not  get  near  him.  We  grew  very 
anxious  as  the  day  advanced  and  no  grass  appeared,  for 


90  PIONEERS   OF   THE   WEST 

tlie  lives  of  the  animals  depended  on  finding  it  that  night. 
Near  nightfall  we  descended  into  the  steep  ravine  of  a 
handsome  creek  thirty  feet  wide,  and  I  was  engaged  in 
getting  the  horses  on  the  opposite  hill,  when  a  shout  was 
heard  from  Carson,  who  had  gone  ahead.  '  Life  yet,'  he 
said,  'yet  life  ;  I  have  found  a  hillside  sprinkled  with  grass 
enough  for  the  night.'  Three  horses  were  lost  this  day, 
two  having  given  out  and  one  strayed  off  into  the  woods." 

The  main  party,  following,  toiled  on  till  the  1st  of 
March,  when  they  began  to  descend  on  the  western  side, 
coming  to  a  rocky  river  near  which  they  travelled. 

Mr.  Preuss  was  lost  for  several  days. but  finally  found' 
his  way  back  to  camp.  Some  of  the  men  lost  their  senses 
because  of  exposure  and  anxiety.  But  as  they  descended 
there  were  good  grass  and  trees  and  instead  of  the 
narrow,  rocky  bed  of  the  river,  the  country  spread  out  into 
a  beautiful  river  valley.  The  men  lived  on  roots,  onions, 
and  flesh  of  mules  and  horses. 

Mr.  Preuss,  while  lost,  had  nothing  but  a  pocket-knife 
with  which  to  dig  up  the  roots  of  wild  onions.  Once  he 
discovered  a  nest  of  ants,  which  he  ate.  Even  frogs  were 
sometimes  eaten  by  him  to  obtain  strength ;  lower  down 
the  valley  he  came  to  some  Indians  at  their  huts,  who 
gave  him  a  good  supply  of  roasted  acorns.  But  he  suf- 
fered most  from  the  want  of  tobacco,  not  being  able  to 
smoke  a  pipe  before  going  to  bed. 


Fremont's  trip  to  salt  lake  and  California      91 

As  the  party  travelled  farther  down,  the  country 
became  surprisingly  beautiful  and  very  fine  for  the  pas- 
turage of  stock.  The  river  was  joined  by  another  branch 
and  together  they  were  sixty  to  one  hundred  yards  wide. 
The  valley  became  gay  with  flowers  and  some  of  the 
banks  were  absolutely  golden  with  the  California  poppy. 
Here  also  the  grass  was  smooth  and  green  and  there  were 
fine  groves  of  large  oak  trees.  Following  this  river  till 
they  reached  its  junction  with  the  Sacramento,  the  ex- 
plorers came  upon  a  large  village  of  Indians,  where  the 
people  looked  clean  and  wore  cotton  shirts  and  various 
other  articles  of  dress.  "  They  crowded  around  us,  and 
we  had  the  delight  of  hearing  one  who  could  speak 
Spanish.  Among  them  was  one  also  who  said  he  was 
one  of  Captain  Sutter's  herdsmen.  He  led  us  down  the 
valley  till  we  were  met  by  Captain  Sutter  himself,  who 
gave  us  a  most  frank  and  cordial  welcome.  Under  his 
roof  we  had  a  night  of  rest,  enjoyment,  and  refreshment 
which  none  but  ourselves  could  appreciate.  We  told  him 
we  had  left  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  with  part  of  the  men  and 
horses  behind  in  the  mountains.  The  next  morning,  sup- 
plied with  fresh  horses  and  provisions,  I  hurried  off  to  find 
them.  AVe  met  them  on  the  river,  and  a  forlorn  and 
pitiable  sight  they  were.  They  were  all  on  foot,  each  man 
weak  and  emaciated,  leading  a  horse  or  mule  as  weak  as 
himself. 


92  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

*'  They  had  experienced  great  difficulty  in  descending  the 
mountains,  made  slippery  by  rains  and  melting  snows, 
and  many  horses  fell  over  precipices  and  were  killed. 
With  some  were  lost  the  packs  they  carried.  Among 
these  was  a  mule  with  the  plants  which  we  had  collected 
since  leaving  Fort  Hall,  along  a  line  of  two  thousand 
miles  travel.  Out  of  sixty-seven  horses  and  mules,  with 
which  we  commenced  crossing  the  Sierra,  only  thirty- 
three  reached  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento,  and  they  only 
in  a  condition  to  be  led  along.  Mr.  Fitzpatrick  and  his 
party,  travelling  more  slowly,  had  been  able  to  make 
some  little  exertion  in  hunting  and  had  killed  a  few  deer. 
This  scanty  supply  was  a  great  relief  to  them,  for  sev- 
eral had  been  made  sick  by  the  strange  and  unwholesome 
food  which  the  preservation  of  life  compelled  them  to  use." 

March  8th  the  expedition  encamped  at  the  junction  of 
the  American  River  and  the  Sacramento.  Near  by  were 
the  fort  and  ranch  of  Captain  Sutter,  who  had  come  to 
California  from  Missouri  in  1838-1839. 

Here  Fremont  and  his  party  spent  two  weeks  resting 
and  preparing  for  the  homeward  trip.  Mules,  horses,  and 
cattle  were  to  be  collected,  the  mill  was  at  work  day 
and  night  to  provide  flour,  the  blacksmith's  shop  was  put 
to  use  for  horseshoes  and  bridle  bits.  Pack  saddles, 
ropes,  and  bridles  and  all  other  equipments  for  the  camp 
had  to  be  provided. 


FREMOXT'S    trip    to    salt   lake   and    CALIFORNIA         93 

On  March  24,  with  a  full  supply  of  provisions,  horses, 
mules,  cattle,  and  even  fine  milk  cows,  they  started  south 
along  the  valley  of  the  San  Joaquin  River,  in  order  to 
pass  around  the  southern  end  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  and 
explore  the  desert  and  mountain  region  between  southern 
California  and  Salt  Lake.  Afterward  they  returned  by 
way  of  the  Arkansas,  the  Kansas,  and  Missouri  to  St. 
Louis. 

"  During  a  protracted  absence  of  fourteen  months,  in 
the  course  of  which  we  had  necessarily  been  exposed  to 
great  varieties  of  weather  and  climate,  no  one  case  of 
serious  sickness  had  ever  occurred  among  us." 


CHAPTER   IV 

DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD  AXD  TRIP  TO  CALIFORNIA  IN  '49 

Captain  John  Sutter  had  in  1847  a  large  ranch 
and  fort  at  the  present  site  of  Sacramento  in  California. 
He  owned  large  fields  of  grain,  many  herds  of  cattle 
and  horses,  and  was  very  hospitable  to  all  Americans 
coming  to  California.  A  flour-mill  was  needed  on  his 
great  ranch  to  grind  np  the  wheat  harvested  yearly 
but  there  was  no  lumber  at  hand  with  which  to  build 
it.  In  the  latter  part  of  August,  1847,  Captain  Sutter 
and  Mr.  James  Marshall  of  New  Jersey  signed  an 
agreement  by  which  a  sawmill  was  to  be  set  to  work 
at  Coloma,  in  a  small  valley  forty-five  miles  from  Sutter's 
fort,  up  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains  fifteen  hundred 
feet  above  the  sea.  The  mountain  sides  at  Coloma 
were  thickly  covered  with  yellow  pine,  which  was  to  be 
broug;ht  to  the  mill  and  sawed  into  lumber  for  use  at 
Sutter's  fort. 

Mr.  Marshall,  who  was  a  skilful  wheelwright,  with 
nine  white  men  and  about  a  dozen  Indians,  went  up 
the  valley  of  the  American  River  to  Coloma  to  erect 
this    mill.     "  For    four    months    these    men    worked    at 

94 


DISCOVERY    OF    GOLD    AND    TPwIP   TO    CALIFORNIA   IN    '49      95 

Culoma,  seeino;  no  visitors  and  seldom  oroino;  to  tlie 
fort.  The  dam  was  built,  a  race  dug,  gates  put  in 
place,  and  the  mill  about  completed.  Water  was  turned 
into  the  race    to  wash  out    some  of    the    loose  dirt  and 


Slttkr's  Mill 

gravel  which  was  still  in  it.  Then  the  water  was 
turned  off  again.  On  Monday,  January  24,  Mr.  Mar- 
sliall  was  walking  in  the  race  when  on  its  granite 
bed-rock  he  saw  some  yellow  particles  and  picked  up 
several  of    them.     The    largest    were  about    the    size    of 


96  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

•grains  of  wheat.  They  were  smooth,  bright,  and  in 
color  much  like  brass.  He  went  to  the  mill,  where  he 
told  the  men  he  had  discovered  a  gold  mine.  But  the 
men  thought  little  about  it  or  ridiculed  the  idea.  Mr. 
Marshall  hammered  his  new  metal  and  found  it  malle- 
able. He  put  it  in  the  kitchen  fire  and  found  that  it 
did  not  readily  melt  or  become  discolored.  He  com- 
pared its  color  with  gold  coin,  and  the  more  he  ex- 
amined it  the  more  he  was  convinced  that  it  was  gold." ' 
The  next  morning  he  visited  the  race  again  and  picked 
up  other  particles,  in  all  about  a  spoonful,  and  carried 
it  on  the  crown  of  his  slouch  hat  to  the  mill.  Soon 
afterward  he  started  to  Sutter's  fort  to  get  pro- 
visions and  show  the  gold.  Captain  Sutter  had  scales 
and  sulphuric  acid  with  which  the  metal  was  still  fur- 
ther tested  and  he  also  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it 
was  real  gold. 

For  six  weeks  things  went  on  as  usual  at  the  mill, 
but  Mr.  Bigler,  one  of  the  men,  while  out  hunting  deer 
and  other  game  for  the  workmen,  took  pains  to  ex- 
amine the  sands  of  the  river  and  found  gold  in  several 
places.  His  reports  caused  others  also  to  look  and 
make  discoveries.  By  April  12  six  white  men  were 
at  work  on  the  American  River  below  Coloma,  washing 
out  the    sand   and   gravel    in    pans    and  Indian  baskets. 

1  Cenlury,  Vol.  XLI,  p.  528. 


DISCOVERY   OF    GOLD    AND   TRIP   TO    CALIFORNIA   IN    '49      97 

Even  in  this  rude  way  tliey  were  earning  about  forty- 
one  dollars  a  day  for  each  man. 

About  this  time  also  Mr.  Humphrey,  a  gold  miner 
from  Georgia,  began  to  work  along  the  river  with  a 
rocker,  that  is,  a  piece  of  log  hollowed  out  into  which 
sand  with  gold  dust  was  shovelled  and  then  rocked 
back  and  forth  as  water  was  poured  into  it,  thus  sepa- 


San  ^RA^•cISCO  ix  1841 


ratino;  the  gold  from  the  sand  and  travel.  "  Bv  the 
middle  of  March  it  was  reported  in  one  of  the  papers 
of  San  Francisco,  a  village  of  about  seven  hundred 
people,  that  a  gold  mine  had  been  discovered  at  Sutter's 
mill,  but  the  report  was  at  first  much  doubted.  The 
increasing  quantity  of  gold  that  was  brought  in  con- 
vinced the  doubters,  and  by  the  middle  of  June  the  whole 
territory  sounded  with  the  cry  of  '  Gold  !     Gold  !     Gold  ! ' 


98  PIONEERS   OF    THE   WEST 

"  Nearly  all  the  men  hurried  off  to  the  mines.  Work- 
shops, stores,  dwellings,  wives,  and  even  fields  of  ripe 
grain  were    left    for    a    time    to  themselves."  ^ 

The  gold  was  usually  found  in  the  sand-bars  and 
banks  along  the  rivers  and  smaller  streams.  There 
was  abundance  of  water  in  the  streams  with  which  to 
wash  the  sands  and  gather  the  gold  dust.  When  the 
rainy  season  of  winter  set  in  and  the  larger  sand-bars 
of  the  river  were  flooded,  the  miners  ascended  the 
smaller  valleys  and  washed  out  the  dry  sands  along 
their  courses.  It  took  no  great  amount  of  skill  to 
shake  a  pan  or  handle  a  rocker  and  the  reward  in 
many  places  Avas  great. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1848  reports  began  to  reach 
the  Eastern  states  that  gold  had  been  discovered  in 
California.  It  did  not  cause  much  excitement  at  first, 
but  later  in  the  winter  large  amounts  of  gold  reached 
New  York  and  other  cities  and  then  great  interest 
was  felt  through  all  the  older  states.  People  began 
to  prepare  for  the  long  journey  to  California  in  the 
spring.  Many  started  overland  in  wagons,  cross- 
ing plains  and  mountains.  A  line  of  steamers  had 
been  started  to  carry  emigrants  from  New  York  to 
Panama  and  thence  to  San  Francisco.  We  will  follow 
one  of  the  parties  in   its  course    across   the    plains    and 

1  Century,  Vol.  XLT,  p.  531. 


DISCOVERY   OF    GOLD    AND   TRIP    TO    CALIFORNIA   IN    '49      99 

mountains  from  Chicago  to  San  Francisco,  in  the  spring 
and  summer  of  1849. 

In  the  early  spring  of  the  year  1849  a  young  man 
named  John  Turner,  his  brother,  and  another  young 
man  decided  that  tliey  would  make  the  journey  from 
their  home  near  Chicago  to  the  gold  mines  in  Cali- 
fornia. At  that  time  there  were  no  railroads  built  west 
of  the  city  of  Chicago,  and  from  the  Missouri  River  to 
California  there  was  scarcely  a  town  except  a  small 
village  at  Salt  Lake  recently  founded  by  the  Mormons. 
It  was  necessary  for  the  young  men  to  make  this 
journey  in  a  covered  wagon  with  horses  and  such 
outfit  as  they  could  carry  with  them.  They  secured  a 
well-built  wagon,  covered  it  with  a  tent,  and  packed 
within  all  those  things  which  would  be  most  useful  to 
them  on  their  long  and  perilous  trip  across  the  great 
plains  and  mountains,  such  as  tools,  clothing,  food, 
medicines,  ammunition,  saddles,  blankets,  and  various 
other  articles  of  necessity  and  comfort. 

The  young  gold-seekers  started  in  March  and  made 
their  way  across  northern  Illinois,  fording  streams  be- 
cause bridges  were  not  yet  built  and  toiling  slowly 
westward  to  the  Mississippi.  They  had  taken  some  six 
horses  and  often  camped  out  for  the  night.  When 
they  reached  the  Mississippi  near  Rock  Island,  they 
were    carried   across    the    stream  by   a    ferry-boat,  on  to 


100 


PIONEERS   OF   THE    WEST 


which  the  horses  and  wagons  were  driven,  and  which  was 
urged  backward  and  forward  by  a  steam-engine.  They 
passed  westward  through  Iowa,  which  at  that  time  was  a 
wild  prairie  region  but  little  inhabited.  They  crossed  the 
prairies  and  streams,  coming  upon  many  other  emigrants 
with  wagons  and  horses  travelling  westward  with  the 
same  purpose  of  reaching  the  gold  mines  in  California. 
After  two  or  three  weeks  of  travel  the  party  reached  the 
Missouri  River  and  the  town  of  Council  Bluffs,  which  was 


An  Emigrant  Train 

at  that  time  the  principal  outfitting  station  in  the  West 
and  a  very  busy  place.  Many  emigrants  from  the  Middle 
and  Eastern  states  had  collected  here  and  were  preparing 
for  the  journey  across  the  plains  and  mountains.  The 
young  men  remained  here  for  about  two  weeks  and 
bought  such  additional  supplies  as  they  found  they  would 
need  for  their  long  journey.  Then  in  company  with 
fifteen  other  wagons,  forming  a  large  caravan,  containing 


DISCOVERY  OF   GOLD  AND   TRIP   TO  CALIFORNIA  IN  '49      101 

forty-one  men  in  all,  they  started  westward,  first  descend- 
ing the  Missouri  River  and  crossino;  it  at  Plattsmouth  into 
Nebraska.  From  this  point  they  followed  the  south  shore 
of  the  Platte  River  westward  for  many  miles.  The  river 
valley  was  filled  with  timber  and  by  keeping  near  the 
river  they  were  always  well  supplied  with  timber  and 
fuel,  with  water  for  the  horses,  and  with  good  pasturage  in 
the  bottom-lands  at  night.  Each  evening  the  party  would 
camp  at  the  edge  of  the  woods  and  picket  out  their  horses, 
which  in  this  way  were  allowed  to  rest  and  feed.  They 
were  coining  now  into  the  country  that  furnished  most 
excellent  hunting.  The  young  men  took  the  best  riding 
horses  and  rode  out  on  the  plains  both  north  and  south  of 
the  river  where  they  found  abundance  of  buffalo  and  of 
deer,  while  in  the  woods  near  the  river  other  wild  game  was 
plentiful.  The  weather  was  sunny  and  delightful  with 
the  opening  springtime  and  the  young  men  had  great 
pleasure  in  hunting  the  wild  game  on  these  boundless 
plains.  The  trail  which  they  were  following  led  not  far 
from  the  river,  which  they  occasionally  crossed. 

Their  manner  of  crossing  the  river  was  as  follows : 
From  trees  bordering:  the  stream  logs  twentv-five  feet 
in  length  had  been  cut  and  fastened  together  bj'  cross 
pieces ;  grooves  were  also  cut  across  the  logs  for  the 
wheels  of  the  wagons.  A  firm  raft  twenty-five  feet  square 
having   been    constructed,  it  was    fastened   by  means  of 


102  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

ropes  to  stakes  driven  into  the  bank  of  the  river.  Long 
ropes  were  fastened  to  the  two  sides  of  the  raft  next  to  the 
shores,  and  by  means  of  these  the  raft  witli  its  load  was 
pulled  back  and  forth  across  the  river.  On  the  regular 
trail  or  road  these  rafts  were  found  moored  at  the  crossino;- 
places  and  were  used  by  the  caravans  as  they  came  along. 
The  first  emigrant  train  that  crossed  the  plains  in  1841 
started  at  Kansas  City  and  passed  northward  through 
Kansas  and  Nebraska  to  the  Platte.  The  emigrants  thus 
describe  the  buffalo  region :  "  As  soon  as  we  struck  the 
buffalo  country  we  found  a  new  source  of  interest. 
Before  we  reached  the  Platte  we  had  seen  an  abundance 
of  antelope  and  elk,  prairie  wolves,  and  villages  of  prairie 
dogs,  but  only  an  occasional  bu:ffalo.  We  now  began  to 
kill  buffaloes  for  food,  and,  as  was  the  custom  of  white 
hunters,  our  people  began  to  kill  them  just  to  get  the 
tongues  and  marrow  bones,  leaving  all  the  rest  of 
the  meat  on  the  plains  for  the  wolves  to  eat.  But  the 
Cheyenne  Indians  who  travelled  ahead  of  us  several  days 
set  us  a  better  example.  At  their  camp  we  noticed  that 
they  took  all  the  meat.  Indians  were  never  wasteful  of 
the  buffalo  except  in  winter  for  the  sake  of  the  robes,  and 
then  only  to  get  whiskey  which  the  traders  offered  in 
exchange.  There  is  no  better  beef  in  the  world  than  that 
of  the  buffalo ;  it  is  also  very  good  jerked,  that  is,  cut 
into  strings  and  thoroughly  dried. 


DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD  AND  TRIP   TO   CALIFORNIA   IN   '49      103 

"  It  was  an  easy  matter  to  kill  buffaloes  after  we  got  to 
where  they  were  numerous,  by  keeping  out  of  sight  and 
to  the  leeward  of  them.  I  think  I  can  truly  say  that  I 
saw  in  that  region  in  one  day  more  buffaloes  than  I  have 
seen  of  cattle  in  all  my  life.  I  have  seen  the  plain  black 
with  them  for  several  days'  journey  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach.  They  seemed  to  be  coming  northward  from 
the  distant  plains  to  the  Platte  to  get  water,  and  would 
plunge  in  and  swim  across  by  the  thousands.  There 
were  so  many  that  they  would  change  the  color  and 
taste  of  the  water  until  it  was  unfit  to  drink,  but  we  had 
to  use  it. 

"  One  night  when  we  camped  on  the  south  fork  of  the 
Platte,  they  came  in  such  droves  that  we  had  to  sit  up, 
shoot  off  our  guns  and  make  what  fires  we  could  to  keep 
them  from  running  over  us  and  trampling  us  in  the  dust. 
We  had  to  go  some  distance  from  the  camp  to  turn  them, 
otherwise  the  buffaloes  in  front  could  not  turn  aside  from 
the  pressure  of  those  behind.  We  could  hear  them 
thundering  all  night  long,  the  ground  fairly  trembled 
with  the  vast  approaching  herds,  and  if  they  had  not 
been  turned  aside  wagons,  animals,  and  emigrants  would 
have   been    trodden  underfoot."^ 

One  day,  looking  toward  the  low  hills  which  border  the 
river  valley,  at  a  distance  of  several  miles  the  party  saw  a 

1  Century,  Vol.  XLI,  pp.  117,  118. 


104  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

cloud  of  dust.  Thinking  it  miglit  be  a  band  of  Indians  on 
horseback,  the  caravan  of  sixteen  wagons,  which  was  strung 
out  on  the  march,  was  driven  together  and  formed  into  a 
triangle  with  five  or  six  wagons  on  each  side.  On  account 
of  the  danger  from  Indians  along  this  part  of  the  trail  the 
white  men  had  previously  planned  for  a  cjuick  movement 
in  driving  their  wagons  together  and  thus  forming  a  sort 
of  barricade.  The  teams  were  unhitched  and  all  driven 
together  into  the  triangular  space  between  the  wagons. 

In  the  meantime  the  cloud  of  dust  came  nearer  and 
presently  horsemen  could  be  seen.  As  the  troop  descended 
the  sloping  hills  into  the  valley,  they  were  seen  to  be  a 
l^ody  of  Indians  on  horseback,  armed  with  bows,  arrows, 
and  spears,  and  in  war-paint,  showing  that  they  were  out 
for  a  plundering  raid  against  the  pioneers.  The  forty-one 
men,  with  loaded  rifles,  concealed  themselves  behind  and 
among  the  w^agons  and  waited  to  observe  what  the  Indians 
would  do.  The  warriors  rode  forward,  about  two  hundred 
strong,  till  they  were  just  out  of  rifle  range,  where  they 
halted  and  held  a  parley.  They  seemed  'to  be  uncer- 
tain whether  to  make  an  attack  upon  the  caravan  of 
wagons  or  not.  After  a  brief  space  of  time  they  mounted 
their  horses  again,  divided  into  two  troops,  and  galloped 
past  on  each  side  of  the  wagons  just  out  of  rifle  range. 
Farther  on  they  came  together  again  and  then  rode  off, 
up  the  hills  and  over  the  prairie,  and  disappeared.     They 


DISCOVERY   OF   GOLD  AND  TRIP  TO  CALIFORNIA  IN  '49      105 

had  evidently  concluded  that  it  was  not  safe  to  attack  so 
large  a  party  of  riflemen,  well  barricaded  behind  wagons. 
If  the  party  of  white  men  had  been  smaller,  with  only  one 
or  a  few  wagons,  the  Indians  would  doubtless  have  attacked 
and  plundered  them. 

After  pursuing  their  journey  westward  along  the 
Platte  until  the  central  part  of  the  present  Nebraska  was 
reached,  the  caravan  found  that  their  horses  were  grow- 
ing weak.  The  extra  animals  had  been  driven  much  in 
pursuit  of  the  buffalo  and  on  other  hunting  tours.  The 
draft  animals  were  exhausted  l3y  dragging  the  heavy 
wagons  along  the  sandy  trail.  It  was  found  necessary, 
therefore,  to  stop  and  rest.  A  broad,  grassy  meadow 
was  selected,  the  camp  was  pitched,  and  for  two  weeks 
the  animals  were  allowed  to  feed  on  the  rich  grass  and 
to  rest,  and  so  to  recover  their  strength  for  the  still 
harder  journey  in  prospect.  The  meat  that  had  been 
brought  into  camp  was  jerked  and  hung  up  in  the  sun 
to  dry.  The  wagons  and  harness  were  repaired  and  the 
clothing  and  foot-gear  put  into  the  best  condition. 

The  journey  from  this  point  until  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains appeared  in  sight  was  still  along  the  river  Imt  the 
grass  was  growing  scanty ;  only  a  few  cotton  wood  trees 
were  seen  here  and  there  in  the  river  valley.  The  sky 
was  clear  and  sunny,  as  rain  seldom  falls  in  this  region, 
and    the    ground    is    thinly    covered   with    short    butfalo 


106  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

grass.  The  hunting-parties  now  gave  way  to  the  steady 
march.  Few  animals  or  birds  were  seen.  The  men 
walked  beside  their  heavy  wagons  all  day,  driving  their 
teams  or  leadino;  the  extra  animals.  The  low  hills  rose 
in  long  slopes  north  and  south  of  the  river  but  beyond 
was  nothing  but  the  great  treeless  plain. 

At  last  the  caravan  came  in  sight  of  the  hazy  outline 
of  the  mountains,  looking  like  low  clouds  along  the 
west.  The  air  is  so  clear  that  they  can  be  seen  a 
hundred  miles  before  reaching  them.  As  the  travellers 
approached  the  foothills  or  first  low  ranges,  they  could 
see  the  scattered  evergreens  along:  their  sides  and  the 
ranges  of  mountains  rising  higher  and  higher  to  the 
west,  until  the  snow-covered  peaks  of  the  main  chain 
stood  at  the  back.  They  followed  the  trail  along  the 
north  fork  of  the  Platte  until  the  Sweetwater  was 
reached  and  then  pursued  the  valley  of  this  stream  to 
the  South  Pass.  It  is  the  same  pass  through  which 
Fremont  once  went  and  is  about  seven  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  sea. 

As  the  caravan  came  into  the  mountains,  the  party 
of  forty-one  men  and  sixteen  wagons  had  broken  up 
into  smaller  divisions,  as  they  no  longer  feared  the  at- 
tack of  the  Indians.  From  the  South  Pass  our  friends, 
the  Turner  boys,  with  a  guide  who  had  travelled  the 
road   before,  descended   the  western  slope  of  the  moun- 


DISCOVERY   OF   GOLD  AND   TRIP  TO  CALIFORNIA   IN  '49      107 

tains  to  reach  some  stream  ti-ibutary  to  the  Green 
River.  The  western  slope  of  these  mountains  is  very 
dreary  and  desolate.  The  road  led  through  the'  alkali 
region,  where  there  was  no  vegetation  or  water.  Soon 
their  supply  of  fresh  water  gave  out  and  the  party 
travelled  most  of  the  day  without  drink.  They  camped 
at  night  without  water  for  their  animals  or  themselves. 
Their  guide  said  that  by  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning 
they  would  reach  a  stream.  Early  in  the  morning  they 
were  pushing  along  the  road  toward  the  much-needed 
water.  They  travelled  hard  until  noon,  yet  nothing 
but  the  parched  and  barren  alkali  desert  was  to  be 
seen.  The  animals  began  to  suffer  greatly  for  lack  of 
water.  The  men  put  bullets  into  their  mouths  to  keep 
from  feeling  the  thirst.  Travelling  onward  during  the 
afternoon,  they  came  to  a  rising  knoll  from  which  they 
could  look  down  into  a  distant  valley,  and  there,  four  or 
five  miles  away,  they  could  see  a  stream.  Men  and 
horses  hastened  forward  and  after  an  hour's  suffering 
reached  the  river.  They  rushed  eagerly  into  the  stream 
and  drank  of  the  refreshing  waters. 

Our  friends,  after  following  the  tributary  stream  to  its 
outlet,  crossed  the  Green  River,  and  then  followed  west- 
ward the  valley  of  another  stream.  A  trail  had  been 
made  by  previous  emigrants  to  Salt  Lake.  The  road 
usually  lay  where   more   or   less   grass   could    be    found. 


108 


PIONEERS   OF   THE   WEST 


Sometimes  the  valleys  were  deep  and  shadowed  by  over- 
hanging cliffs.  Following  one  of  the  streams  that  flows 
into  Salt  Lake,  until  they  reached  the  inland  sea,  the 
travellers  kept  southward  until  they  came  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  which  the  Mormons   had   settled  only  a  few  years 


The  First  House  in  Salt  Lake  City 

before.     Here  they  rested   a  few  days  and  prepared  for 
the  toilsome  march  across  the  desert. 

Passing  along  the  northern  shore  of  the  lake,  the 
wagons  came  in  a  few  days  to  the  dry  and  lifeless  desert, 
which  was  so  barren  and  hard  that  the  trail  could  scarcely 


DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD  AND   TKIP   TO  CALIFORNIA   IN   '49      109 

be  seen.  The  wayfarers  were  compelled  to  carry  enough 
water  to  supply  them  in  the  wearisome  mai'ch  across 
this  desolate  region.  The  first  emigrants  to  cross  this 
desert  in  1841,  the  Downer  party,  used  up  all  their 
water  before  they  reached  the  streams  in  the  west.  The 
men  and  women  and  children  set  ont  on  foot  to  save 
their  lives.  Both  oxen  and  wagons  were  lost,  and  most 
of  the  party  walked  the  remaining  distance  to  California. 

The  Turner  boys  had  joined  another  large  party  or 
caravan  at  Salt  Lake  City,  so  as  to  cross  this  region  in 
company.  After  passing  the  desert,  they  reached  the 
head  waters  of  the  Humboldt  River,  where  there  were 
grassy  meadows.  One  night  they  pitched  their  camp, 
and  went  to  rest,  leaving  three  men  to  guard  the  camp, 
and  especially  the  horses,  from  the  thieving  Indians  who 
were  known  to  be  found  on  this  part  of  the  route.  But 
the  three  watchers  also  were  very  tired  and  soon  fell 
asleep.  While  the  whole  camp  lay  thus  asleep,  a  party 
of  Snake  Indians  crept  up,  loosened  the  horses,  and 
started  off  northward  toward  their  homes.  Before  morn- 
ing the  men  awoke  to  find  every  animal  gone.  The 
Indians  not  only  had  three  or  four  hours  the  start,  but 
were  on  horseback  and  could  travel  faster  than  the 
whites. 

It  was  a  most  difficult  situation.  But  in  spite  of  this 
several  men  started  rapidly  in  pursuit.     For  several  days 


110  PIONEERS    OF    THE   WEST 

they  followed  the  trail  of  the  Indians  toward  the  north 
but  were  unable  to  overtake  the  thieves.  A  few  of  the 
lame  or  less  speedy  mules  were  overtaken  and  recovered. 
With  these  less  valuable  animals  the  men  returned  to 
camp.  It  was  impossible  to  haul  the  heavy  wagons 
with  such  worn-out  mules.  It  was  decided,  therefore,  to 
leave  the  wagons  standing  on  the  plains  with  most  of 
the  furniture,  tools,  j)rovisions,  and  supplies.  The  har- 
ness was  cut  up,  pack  saddles  were  made,  and  the  most 
necessary  tools,  clothing,  and  provisions  were  packed  on 
the  backs  of  the  mules,  and  then  all  the  men  set  out 
on  foot  for  California,  six  hundred  miles  away. 

Their  road  now  lay  along  the  waters  of  the  Humboldt 
River  and  on  its  banks  they  again  found  grass,  water, 
and  game.  The  river  cuts  its  way  through  moimtain 
ridges,  forming  deep  valleys,  and  the  streams  entering  it 
from  both  sides  come  down  through  deep  rocky  canons 
that  are  often  dry  a  great  part  of  the  year. 

Along  the  shores  of  this  stream  were  found  springs. 
As  the  mules  one  day  came  to  one  of  these  springs  and 
reached  down  to  drink,  the  bank  gave  way  and  a  mule 
with  his  pack  tumbled  into  the  cavity  and  disappeared 
from  sight.  The  Humboldt  finally  sends  its  waters  into 
the  sink  of  the  Humboldt,  where  they  are  absorbed  into 
the  earth  or  are  evaporated.  When  the  caravan  reached 
til  is    point    they    found    the    waters   too    salty    for    use ; 


DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD  AND  TRIP  TO   CALIFORNIA  IN   '49      111 

thereupon  they  turned  northwestward  into  the  valley  of 
the  Truckee  River. 

This  valley  was  rich  in  grasses  and  had  a  wagon  road 
leading  over  the  Sierra  Nevada,  but  as  our  friends  had  no 
wagons  they  determined  to  take  a  shorter  trip  directly 
across  the  great  mountain  wall.  It  was  still  early  in  the 
fall  and  the  snows  had  not  yet  set  in.  A  zigzag  path  led 
up  the  mountain  side,  forming  a  foot-track  for  men  and 
animals.  After  winding  their  way  through  the  foot-hills, 
the  Tm-ner  boys  started  up  this  zigzag  path  and  in  a  few 
days  were  on  the  summit  of  the  mountains  looking  down 
into  the  valley  of  the  Sacramento.  The  trip  down  the 
valley  of  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Sacramento  was 
easier.  They  were  soon  among  the  mining  camps,  for 
this  was  the  very  region  where  gold  was  first  discovered. 
While  the  Turners  had  lost  their  wagons,  horses,  and  whole 
outfit,  so  that  they  had  very  little  to  begin  with  in  a  new 
country,  still  they  were  more  fortunate  than  many  others 
who  had  attempted  to  cross  the  plains  and  mountains. 
Some  had  been  taken  sick  on  the  way ;  others  reached  the 
mountains  too  late  to  cross  into  California  before  winter 
set  in,  and  were  compelled  to  live  upon  the  eastern  slopes 
in  poor  huts  and  with  little  food,  until  the  spring  opened. 

During  this  summer  many  thousands  of  emigrants 
pushed  westward  over  mountains  and  plains  to  the  gold- 
fields  of  California.      Others  sailed  from  New  York  and 


112 


PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 


other  cities  of  the  Atlantic  coast  to  Panama,  and  crossing 
the  isthmus,  travelled  by  ship  to  San  Francisco.  Still  others 
sailed  round  Cape  Horn  and  reached  California  by  this  long 
route.  Before  the  end  of  a  year  about  eighty  thousand 
people  had  reached  California.  Just  before  the  discovery 
of  gold,  as  a  result  of  the  Mexican  War  California  had 


A  Rush  to  the  Diggings 

become  a  part  of  the  territory  of  the  United  States.  As 
the  people  thronged  into  the  West,  San  Francisco  quickly 
became  a  city  of  twenty  thousand  people.  Many  lawless 
characters  —  thieves,  roughs,  and  gamblers  —  had  come 
with  the  immigrants  and  there  was  a  period  of  lawlessness 


DISCOVERY  OF  GOLD   AND   TRIP  TO   CALIFORNIA   IN  '49      113 

and  crime.  But  the  better  classes  of  the  people  quickly 
organized  a  government,  established  order,  and  applied  to 
the  authorities  at  Washington  for  the  admission  of  Cali- 
fornia as  a  state.     It  was  admitted  to  the  Union  in  1850. 

The  amount  of  gold  obtained  in  the  first  few  years 
from  the  river  sands  and  mines  of  California  was  enor- 
mous. Many  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  gold  was 
shipped  to  the  East  and  increased  the  amount  of  money 
in  circulation.    People  continued  to  throng  into  California. 

Ten  years  later,  in  1859,  rich  mines  were  discovered  in 
Colorado  and  a  great  immigration  to  the  vicinity  of  Pike's 
Peak  began,  the  city  of  Denver  grew  rapidly,  and  the 
Rocky  Mountain  states  sprang  into  existence. 

In  order  to  meet  the  demands  of  commerce  between  the 
East  and  the  Western  states,  railroad  routes  were  carefully 
surveyed  through  the  mountains,  and  after  six  years  of 
labor  at  both  ends  of  the  line,  the  first  great  railroad  across 
the  continent,  the  Union  Pacific,  was  completed  in  1869. 


CHAPTER  V 

POWELL'S  JOURNEY   THROUGH   THE   GRAND   CANON 

(From  Powell's  Journal.,  mostly  direct  quotation,  with  occasional  connecting 

statements.) 

In  the  summers  of  1867  and  1868  Major  J.  W.  Poweir 
explored  a  number  of  rivers  in  western  Colorado,  which 
flow  westward  through  deep  gorges  into  the  Green. 

While  among  these  mountain  gorges,  Powell  became 
interested  in  the  marvellous  stories  which  the  Indians  and 
trappers  told  of  the  Colorado  River  and  of  deep  and  dan- 
gerous caiions  through  which  the  river  passes  on  its  way 
to  the  sea.  The  Indians  believed  it  wholly  impossible  to 
go  through  this  mighty  canon.  Besides  dark,  deep  gorges 
full  of  plunging  falls  and  rock-strewn  rapids,  it  passes, 
they  said,  underground  through  dismal  caverns  which  no 
human  beings  could  traverse. 

In  the  spring  of  1869  Major  Powell  collected  a  small 
party  of  hardy  explorers  for  the  purpose  of  going  down 
through  the  Grand  Cailon  in  boats. 

For  this  journey  into  unknown  dangers  Powell  made 

^  Major  Powell  was  a  one-armed  man,  a  fact  which  must  have  added 
much  to  his  difficulties  on  this  adventurous  journey. 

114 


POWELL'S   JOL^RNEY   THROUGH    THE   GRAXD    CANON      115 


such  preparations  as  his  knowledge  of  river  canons  in  this 
region  would  suggest.  Four  stout  boats  were  built  accord- 
ing to  his  directions,  in  Chicago,  and  were  shipped  by  rail- 


116  PIONEERS    OF    THE   WEST 

road  to  the  point  on  tlie  Green  River  where  it  is  crossed  by 
the  Union  Pacific  railroad,  in  the  southwestern  part  of 
Wyoming.  Three  of  the  boats  were  built  of  oak,  double- 
ribbed,  with  double  stem  and  stern  posts,  and  with  water- 
tight bulkheads  dividing  each  one  into  three  parts.  Two 
of  these  jjarts  in  each  boat  were  decked,  forming  water- 
tight cabins,  so  that  the  boats  could  be  turned  upside  down 
in  the  water  without  sinking.  Each  of  these  three  boats 
was  twenty-one  feet  long  and  when  empty  could  be  carried 
by  four  men.  The  fourth  boat  was  built  of  pine,  sixteen 
feet  in  length  and  light,  with  a  sharp  prow  for  swift  row- 
ing, and  was  divided  into  water-tight  parts  like  the  others. 

The  party  consisted  of  eleven  men  and  they  took  provi- 
sions for  a  journey  of  ten  months.  An  abundant  supply 
of  clothing,  blankets,  powder  and  firearms,  two  or  three 
dozen  traps  for  animals,  axes,  arrows,  saws,  and  other 
tools,  besides  nails  and  screws,  two  sextants,  four  chro- 
nometers, barometers,  thermometers,  compasses,  and  other 
instruments,  —  these  made  up  a  part  of  the  cargo. 
Flour,  meat,  coffee,  and  other  articles  of  food  were  care- 
fully stowed  in  the  boats.  One  part  of  each  kind  of  food 
was  stowed  in  each  boat,  together  with  an  axe,  hammer, 
saw,  auger,  and  other  tools.  In  this  way,  if  one  boat  was 
lost,  only  a  part  of  each  kind  of  goods  would  perish.  The 
boats  were,  then,  heavily  loaded. 

On  the  24th  of  May,  1869,  the  whole  party  pushed  out 


Powell's  jouhxey  through  the  grand  canon     117 

into  the  stream  at  Green  River  City,  where  the  good 
people  of  the  town  turned  out  to  see  them  start. 

The  first  three  or  four  days  they  glided  quietly  down 
the  river,  past  occasional  cliffs  and  rocky  shores,  till  they 
came  to  Flaming  Gorge,  sixty-two  miles  from  their  start- 
ing-point and  at  the  entrance  of  the  cailon  which  the 
river  cuts  through  the  Uinta  Mountains,  a  range  about 
sixty  miles  wide.  The  entrance  to  this  cailon,  know^i 
as  the  Flaming  Gorge  on  account  of  the  bright  vermilion 
rocks,  is  formed  by  steep  walls  about  twelve  hundred  feet 
high,  which  rise  higher  as  one  pushes  farther  into  the  canon. 
After  passing  through  this  entrance,  the  river  makes  a 
sudden  turn  and  the  water  plunges  swiftly  down  among 
great  rocks.  Soon  the  boats  reached  the  swift  current 
and  dashed  down  through  the  narrow  channels.  As  the 
boats  plunged  into  the  troughs  the  men  were  soaked  with 
the  water  dashing  over  them.  They  were  skilful  oars- 
men, and  by  a  strong  stroke,  on  this  side  or  that,  kept 
their  boats  from  striking  the  rocks.  After  this  exciting 
plunge  through  the  rapids  they  came  out  safe  into  the 
smooth  water  below,  and  felt  a  great  relief,  for  they  had 
run  the  first  rapids. 

Soon  after  this  the  river  turned  to  the  east  about  a 
rounded  dome  of  rock  in  whose  sides  little  cells  had  been 
carved  by  the  action  of  the  water.  In  these  pits,  which 
covered  the  face  of  the  dome,  hundreds  of  swallows  had 


118  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

built  their  nests.  As  they  flitted  about  the  cliffs  they 
looked  like  a  swarm  of  bees,  giving  to  the  whole  the 
appearance  of  a  colossal  old-fashioned  beehive,  so  the 
voyagers  named  the  rock  Beehive  Point. 

June  1.  To-day  we  have  an  exciting  ride.  The  river 
rolls  down  the  canon  at  a  wonderful  rate,  and  with  no 
rocks  in  the  way  we  make  almost  railroad  speed.  Here 
and  there  the  water  rushes  into  a  narrow  gorge.  The 
rocks  on  the  side  roll  it  into  the  centre  into  great  waves, 
and  the  boats  go  leaping  and  bounding  over  these  like 
things  of  life.  The  waves  break  over  the  boats,  so  that 
they  must  often  be  bailed  out.  Last  spring,  in  conver- 
sation with  an  old  Indian,  he  told  me  of  one  of  his  tribe 
who  attempted  to  run  this  canon.  "  The  rocks,"  he  said, 
holding  his  hands  abov.e  his  head,  his  arms  vertical,  and 
looking  between  them  to  the  heavens,  ''  the  rocks  h-e-a-p 
high ;  the  water  go  h-oo-wough,  h-oo-wough ;  water-pony 
[boat]  h-e-a-p  buck ;  water  catch  'em,  no  see  'em  Injun 
any  more !  no  see  'em  squaw  any  more !  no  see  'em 
pappoose  any  more  !  " 

At  last  we  come  to  calm  water,  and  a  threatening  roar 
is  heard  in  the  distance.  Slowly  approaching  the  point 
whence  the  sound  comes,  we  tie  up  just  above  the  falls 
on  the  left.  Here  we  are  compelled  to  make  a  portage. 
Unloading  the  boats,  and  fastening  a  long  line  to  the 
bow,  and  another  to  the  stern,  of  the  smaller  one,  we 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon     119 

moor  her  close  to  the  brink  of  the  fall.  Then  the  bow 
line  is  taken  below,  and  made  fast;  the  stern  line  is  held 
by  five  or  six  men,  who  let  the  boat  down  as  long  as  they 
can  hold  her  against  the  rushing  waters;  then  one  end 
of  the  line  is  dropped  and  it  runs  through  the  ring ;  the 
boat  leaps  over  the  fall,  and  is  caught  by  the  lower  rope. 

June  2.  This  morning  we  make  a  trail  among  the  rocks, 
transport  the  cargoes  to  a  point  below  the  falls,  let  the 
remaining  boats  over,  and  are  ready  to  start  before  noon. 

June  3.  Near  the  lower  end  of  what  we  call  the  Red 
Canon  is  a  little  park,  where  streams  come  down  from 
the  distant  mountains  and  enter  the  river  on  either  side. 
Here  we  camp  for  the  night  under  two  stately  pines.  On 
the  morning  of  June  3d  we  spread  our  rations,  clothes, 
etc.,  on  the  ground  to  dry,  as  everything  has  been  soaked 
by  the  water  dashing  over  the  boats.  Several  of  the  men 
go  out  for  a  hunt.  The  little  valleys  above  are  beautiful 
parks,  and  among  them  are  tall  pine  forests.  Here  the 
mule-deer  and  elk  abound.  Grizzly  bears,  too,  wild- 
cats, wolverines,  and  mountain  lions  are  at  home.  The 
forests  are  filled  with  the  music  of  the  birds  and  decked 
with  flowers,  and  high  in  the  distance  are  seen  the  snow- 
fields  on  the  mountain  sides.  I  take  a  walk  of  five  or 
six  miles  up  to  a  pine  grove  park,  its  grassy  carpet 
bedecked  with  crimson  velvet  flowers,  set  in  groups  on 
the  stems  of  pear-shaped  cactus  plants. 


120  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

June  9.  We  come  to  a  place  in  the  canon  of  Lodore 
where  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  portage.  Just  above 
the  falls  or  rapids  the  water  descends  with  a  smooth 
nnruffled  surface  from  the  broad  quiet  stream  above  into 
the  narrow  angry  channel  below,  by  a  semicircular  sag. 
We  must  avoid  this  deceptive  place.  I  walk  along  the 
bank  to  examine  the  ground.  One  of  the  boats  makes 
the  shore  all  right,  but  a  minute  after  I  hear  a  shout 
and  see  another  shooting  down  the  centre  of  the  sag. 
The  boat  is  called  the  No  Name,  with  Captain  Rowland, 
his  Ijrother,  and  Goodman.  I  see  that  she  must  go  over 
the  rapids,  and  scramble  along  the  rocks  to  follow  her 
course.  The  first  fall  is  not  great,  only  ten  or  twelve 
feet,  but  below  the  river  tumbles  down  again  forty  or 
fifty  feet  in  a  channel  filled  with  dangerous  rocks  that 
break  the  waves  into  whirlpools  and  beat  them  into 
foam.  I  pass  around  a  high  crag  just  in  time  to  see  the 
boat  strike  a  great  rock,  and,  bounding  back,  tip  up  and 
fill  the  open  part  with  water.  Two  of  the  men  lose  their 
oars.  The  boat  swings  around  and  is  carried  down  at  a 
rapid  rate,  broadside  on,  for  a  few  yards,  and  strikes 
amidships  on  another  rock  with  great  force,  where  it  is 
broken  quite  in  two  and  the  men  are  thrown  into  the 
river.  The  larger  part  of  the  boat  floats  lightly,  and  they 
soon  seize  it  and  drift  down  the  river  past  the  rocks  for 
a  few  hundred  yards  to   a  second  rapid.     This  is  filled 


Powell's  joukney  through  the  grand  canox    121 


with  huge  boulders  upon  which  the  boat  strikes  again 
and  is  dashed  to  pieces,  and  the  men  and  fragments  are 
soon  carried  beyond  my  sight.  Running  along  and  turn- 
ing a  bend,  I  see  a  man's 
head  above  water  in  a  whirl- 
pool below  a  great  rock. 
It  is  Frank  Goodman,  cling- 
inu;  to  the  rock  with  all  his 
might.  Opposite  to  him  is 
Howland,  upon  an  island, 
trying  to  come  to  his  aid. 
He  soon  gets  near  enough 
to  reach  Frank  with  a  pole. 
Frank  lets  go  of  the  rock, 
grasps  the  pole,  and  is 
pulled  ashore.  Howland's 
brother    is   washed    farther     __ 

down      the      island      and      is  Disaster  Falls 

caught  by  some    rocks,  and    though    somewhat    Ijruised, 
manages  to   get  ashore   in   safety. 

And  now  the  three  men  are  on  an  island,  with  a 
swift,  dangerous  river  on  either  side,  and  a  fall  below. 
The  Einma  Dean  is  soon  brought  down,  and  Sumner, 
starting  above  as  far  as  possible,  pushes  out.  Right 
skilfully  he  plies  the  oars,  and  a  few  strokes  set  him 
on  the   island  at  the  proper  point.     Then  they  all  pull 


122  PIONEERS    OF    THE    AVEST 

the  boat  up-stream  as  far  as  they  are  able,  until  they 
stand  in  water  up  to  their  necks.  One  sits  on  a  rock 
and  holds  the  boat  until  the  others  are  ready  to  pull, 
then  gives  the  boat  a  push,  clings  to  it  with  his  hands, 
and  climbs  in  as  they  pull  for  the  mainland,  which  they 
reach  in  safety.  We  are  as  glad  to  shake  hands  with 
them  as  though  they  had  been  on  a  voyage  around  the 
world  and  wrecked  on  a  distant  coast. 

Down  the  river  half  a  mile  we  find  that  the  after 
cabin  of  the  wrecked  boat,  with  a  part  of  the  bottom, 
ragged  and  splintered,  has  floated  against  a  rock  and 
stranded.  There  are  valuable  articles  in  the  cabin ;  but, 
on  examination,  we  determine  that  life  should  not  be 
risked  to  save  them.  Of  coiu-se,  the  cargo  of  rations, 
instruments,  and  clothing  is  gone.  We  return  to  the 
boats  and  make  camp  for  the  night.  No  sleep  comes 
to  me  in  all  those  dark  hours.  The  rations,  instruments, 
and  clothing  had  been  divided  among  the  boats,  antici- 
pating such  an  accident  as  this ;  and  we  started  with 
duplicates  of  everything  that  was  deemed  necessary  to 
success.  But,  in  the  distribution,  there  was  one  excep- 
tion to  this  precaution,  and  the  barometers  were  all 
placed  in  one  boat,  and  they  are  lost.  There  is  a  possi- 
bility that  they  are  in  the  cabin  lodged  against  a  rock, 
for  that  is  where  they  were  kept.  But,  then,  how  to 
reach    them !     The  river  is  rising.     Will   they  be  there 


row  ell's  journey  through  the  graxjj  canon     123 

to-morrow  ?  Can  I  go  out  to  Salt  Lake  City  and  obtain 
barometers  from  New  York  ? 

Now  we  come  back  to  our  work  at  the  portage.  We 
find  that  it  is  necessary  to  carry  our  rations  over  the 
rocks  for  nearly  a  mile,  and  let  our  boats  down  with 
lines,  except  at  a  few  points,  where  they  also  must  be 
carried. 

Between  the  river  and  the  eastern  wall  of  the  canon 
there  is  an  immense  talus  of  broken  rocks.  These  have 
tumbled  down  from  the  cliffs  above,  and  constitute  a 
vast  pile  of  high  angular  fragments.  On  these  we 
build  a  path  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  small  sand 
beach  covered  with  driftwood,  through  which  we  clear 
a  way  for  several  hundred  yards,  then  continue  the 
trail  on  over  another  pile  of  rocks,  nearly  half  a  mile 
farther  down,  to  a  little  bay.  The  greater  part  of  the 
day  is  spent  in  this  work.  Then  we  carry  our  cargoes 
down  to  the  beach  and  camp  for  the  night. 

While  the  men  are  building  the  camp-fire,  we  dis- 
cover an  iron  bake  oven,  several  tin  j)lates,  a  part  of  a 
boat,  and  many  other  fragments,  which  denote  that  this 
is  the  place  where  Ashley's  party  was  wrecked. 

On  this  day  Sumner  and  Dean  volunteered  to  take 
the  little  boat  and  recover  the  barometers.  They  start, 
reach  the  wreck,  and  out  come  the  barometers.  And  now 
the  boys  raise  a  shout  and   I  join  them.     They  rescued 


124  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

also  a  package  of  thermometers,  and  a  three-gallon  keg 
of  whiskey. 

June  11.  This  day  is  spent  in  carrying  our  rations 
down  to  the  bay  —  no  small  task  to  climb  over  the 
rocks  with  sacks  of  flour  and  bacon.  We  carry  them 
by  stages  of  about  five  hundred  yards  each,  and  when 
night  comes,  and  the  last  sack  is  on  the  beach,  we  are 
tired,  bruised,  and  glad  to  sleep. 

June  12.  To-day  we  take  the  boats  down  to  the 
bay.  While  at  this  work,  we  discover  three  sacks  of 
flour  from  the  wrecked  boat,  that  have  lodged  in  the 
rocks.  We  carry  them  above  high-water  mark,  and 
leave  them,  as  our  cargoes  are  already  too  heavy  for 
the  three  remaining  boats.  We  also  find  two  or  three 
oars,  which  we  place  with  them.  As  Ashley  and  his 
party  were  wrecked  here,  and  we  lost  one  of  our  boats 
at  the  same  place,  we  adopt  the  name  "  Disaster  Falls  " 
for  the  scene  of  so  much  peril  and  loss. 

(Having  passed  several  falls,  on  the  third  day  after 
this  Powell  and  his  men  come  to  the  head  of  a  rapid 
where  the  river  tumbles  for  half  a  mile,  with  a  descent 
of  a  hundred  feet,  in  a  channel  beset  with  a  great 
number  of  huge  boulders.  The  remainder  of  the  day 
was  occupied  in  making  a  trail  among  the  rocks  to  the 
foot  of  the  rapid.) 

June    16.     Our   first   work   this   morning   is  to  carry 


POWELL'S    JOURNEY   THROUGH   THE    GRAND    CANON      125 

our  cargoes  to  the  foot  of  the  falls.  Then  we  commence 
letting  down  the  boats.  We  take  two  of  them  in  safety, 
but  not  without  great  difficulty ;  for,  where  such  a  vast 
body  of  water,  rolling  down  an  inclined  plane,  is  broken 
into  eddies  and  cross  currents  by  rocks  projecting  from 
the  cliffs  and  by  piles  of  boulders  in  the  channel,  it 
requires  excessive  lal)or  and  much  care  to  prevent  their 
being  dashed  against  the  rocks  or  breaking  away.  Some- 
times we  are  compelled  to  hold  the  boat  against  a  rock, 
above  a  chute,  until  a  second  line,  attached  to  the  stem, 
is  carried  to  some  point  below ;  and,  when  all  is  ready, 
the  first  line  is  detached,  and  the  boat  given  to  the 
current,  when  she  shoots  down,  and  the  men  below 
swing  her  into  some  eddy. 

At  such  a  place  we  are  letting  down  the  last  boat, 
and,  as  she  is  set  free,  a  wave  turns  her  broadside  down 
the  stream.  They  haul  on  the  line  to  bring  the  boat 
in,  but  the  power  of  the  current,  striking  obliquely 
against  her,  shoots  her  out  into  the  middle  of  the  river. 
The  men  have  their  hands  burned  with  the  friction  of 
the  passing  line;  the  Ijoat  breaks  away,  and  speeds,  with 
great  velocity,  down  the  stream. 

The  Maid  of  the  Canon  is  lost,  so  it  seems ;  but  she 
drifts  some  distance  and  swins^s  into  an  eddv,  in  which 
she  spins  about  until  we  arrive  with  the  small  boat 
and  rescue  her. 


126  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

Late  in  the  afteruoon  we  make  a  short  run  to  the 
mouth  of  another  httle  creek,  coming  down  from  the 
left  into  an  alcove  filled  with  luxuriant  vegetation. 
Here  camp  is  made  with  a  group  of  cedars  on  one  side, 
and  a  dense  mass  of  box-elders  and  dead  willows  on 
the  other. 

I  go  up  to  explore  the  alcove.  While  away  a  whirl- 
wind comes,  scattering  the  fire  among  the  dead  willows 
and  cedar  spray,  and  soon  there  is  a  conflagration.  The 
m^n  rush  for  the  boats,  leaving  all  they  cannot  readily 
seize  at  the  moment,  and  even  then  they  have  their 
clothing  burned  and  hair  singed,  and  Bradley  has  his 
ears  scorched.  The  cook  fills  his  arms  with  the  mess- 
kit,  and,  jumping  into  a  boat,  stumbles  and  falls,  and 
away  go  our  cooking  utensils  into  the  river.  Our  plates 
are  gone ;  our  spoons  are  gone ;  our  knives  and  forks 
are  gone.     "  Water  catch  'em ;  heap  catch  'em." 

When  on  the  boats,  the  men  are  compelled  to  cut 
loose,  as  the  flames,  running  out  on  the  overhanging 
willows,  are  scorching  them.  Loose  on  the  stream,  they 
must  go  down,  for  the  water  is  too  swift  to  make  head- 
way against  it.  Just  below  is  a  rapid  filled  with  rocks. 
On  they  shoot,  no  channel  explored,  no  signal  to  guide 
them.  Just  at  this  juncture,  I  chance  to  see  them,  but 
have  not  yet  discovered  the  fire,  and  the  strange  move- 
ments of  the  men  fill  me  with  astonishment.     Down  the 


POWELL'S   JOURNEY   THROUGH    THE   GRAND    CANON      127 

rocks  I  clamber  and  run  to  the  bank.  When  I  arrive 
they  have  landed.  Then  we  all  go  back  to  the  late  camp 
to  see  if  anything  left  behind  can  be  saved.  Some  of  the 
clothing  and  bedding  taken  out  of  the  boats  is  found,  also 
a  few  tin  cups,  basins,  and  a  camp  kettle,  and  this  is  all 
the  mess-kit  we  now  have.  Yet  we  do  just  as  well  as 
ever. 

During  the  afternoon  Bradley  and  I  climb  some  cliffs 
to  the  north.  Mountain  sheep  are  seen  above  us,  and 
they  stand  out  on  the  rocks,  and  eye  us  intently,  not 
seeming  to  move.  Their  color  is  much  like  that  of  the 
gray  sandstone  beneath  them,  and,  immovable  as  they 
are,  they  appear  like  carved  forms.  Now  a  fine  ram  beats 
the  rock  with  his  fore  foot,  and,  wheeling  around,  they 
all  bound  away  together,  leaping  over  rocks  and  chasms, 
and  climbing  walls  where  no  man  can  follow,  and  this 
with  an  ease  and  gracefulness  most  wonderful.  At  night 
we  return  to  our  camp  under  the  l^ox-elders  by  the  river- 
side. Here  we  are  to  spend  two  or  three  days,  mak- 
ing a  series  of  astronomic  observations  for  latitude  and 
longitude. 

We  are  now  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yampa  River,  and  after 
exploring  this  region  for  a  few  days  we  embark  again, 
June  21.  We  float  around  the  long;  rock  which  we  call 
"  Echo  Rock,"  and  enter  another  canon.  The  walls  are 
steep  and  the  canon  narrow,  while  the  river  fills  the  whole 


128  PIONEERS    OF    THE   WEST 

space  below,  so  that  there  is  no  landing-place  at  the  foot 
of  the  cliffs.  The  Green,  greatly  increased  by  the  Yampa, 
fills  the  narrow  channel,  and  its  swift  current  is  set  eddy- 
ing and  spinning  in  whirlpools  by  the  projecting  rocks 
and  short  bends  of  the  river.  Our  boats  are  difficult  to 
manage  and  spin  about  from  side  to  side.  Not  being  able 
to  keep  them  headed  down  the  stream,  we  are  much 
alarmed,  but  we  soon  get  used  to  it,  and  there  is  but 
little  danger.  Soon  a  cataract  is  heard  below,  and  we 
begin  to  pull  against  the  whirling  current.  The  smallest 
];)oat,  the  Emma  Dean,  is  brought  up  against  a  cliff  about 
fifty  feet  above  the  brink  of  the  fall.  By  using  the  oars 
vigorously  she  is  kept  from  floating  over  the  fall.  I  find 
a  horizontal  crevice  in  the  rock  about  ten  feet  above  the 
water  and  a  little  below  us.  We  let  the  boat  down  to 
this  point,  and  one  of  the  men  climbs  into  this  crevice. 
We  toss  him  a  line,  which  he  makes  fast  among  the 
rocks,  and  now  our  boat  is  tied  up.  I  follow  him  into 
the  crevice,  and  we  crawl  along  fifty  feet  or  more  up  the 
stream,  and  find  a  broken  place  where  we  can  climb  about 
fifty  feet  higlier.  Here  we  stand  on  a  shelf  which  reaches 
along  the  stream  to  a  point  above  the  falls,  where  it  is 
broken  down  and  a  pile  of  rocks  lies  at  its  foot,  where 
we  can  descend  to  the  river.  With  great  difficulty  the 
two  larger  boats  are  broug-ht  close  to  the  smaller  one. 
Now,  by  passing  a  line  up  on  the  shelf,  the  boats  can  be 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon     129 

let  clown  to  the  broken  rocks  below.  This  done,  we  make 
a  short  portage,  and  our  trouljles  for  the  present  are  over. 
At  night  we  camp  at  the  mouth  of  a  small  creek,  which 
affords  us  a  good  supper  of  trout.  After  much  discussion 
by  the  camp-fire,  it  is  decided  to  call  the  canon  through 
which  we  have  just  passed  with  so  much  difficulty 
''  Whirlpool  Canon." 

June  23.  We  remain  in  camp  to-day  on  a  wooded 
island,  where  om-  boats  are  repaired,  since  they  have  had 
many  hard  knocks  and  are  leaking.  Two  of  the  men, 
with  a  barometer,  climb  the  cliff  at  the  foot  of  Whirl- 
pool Caiion  to  measure  the  walls.  Another  man  goes  on 
the  mountain  to  hunt,  while  Bradley  and  I  study  the  rocks 
and  collect  fossils.  Late  in  the  afternoon  the  hunter  re- 
turns and  brings  a  fat  deer,  so  we  give  his  name  to  the 
mountain  ("  Mount  Hawkins  ").  The  next  day  Bradley 
and  I  climb  this  mountain,  which  is  nearly  three  thousand 
feet  above  the  camp.  From  its  top  we  can  see  the  course 
of  the  river  as  it  turns  to  the  southeast  and  cuts  into  the 
centre  of  the  mountain,  then,  turning  to  the  southwest, 
it  splits  the  mountain  ridge  for  a  distance  of  six  miles, 
nearly  to  its  foot.  From  the  point  where  we  stand  we 
can  see  the  gorge  below,  and  name  it  the  "  Split  Mountain 
Caiion,"  through  which  we  must  make  our  next  journey. 
Passing  on  through  a  series  of  gorges  and  caiions,  we 
come,  June  28,  to    the    mouth  of    the  Uinta  River,  and 


130  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

about  two  miles  below  this  to  the  mouth  of  the  White 
River. 

Here  the  party  spent  several  days,  making  observations 
for  latitude  and  longitude,  in  a  journey  of  forty  miles 
up  the  Uinta  River  to  a  reservation  of  the  Uinta  Indians, 
and  also  in  collecting  some  articles  illustrating  Indian 
customs  and  mode  of  life. 

Returning  to  the  Green  River,  they  start,  July  6,  to 
make  the  journey  from  the  mouth  of  the  Uinta  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Grand. 

July  11.  A  short  distance  below  camp  we  run  into  a 
rapid,  and,  in  doing  so,  break  an  oar  and  lose  another ; 
so  the  small  boat  has  but  two  oars  left.  We  see  nothing 
from  which  oars  can  be  made,  and  run  on  to  some  point 
where  the  forests  on  the  plateau  furnish  suitable  timber 
for  new  oars.  We  soon  approach  another  rapid.  Stand- 
ing on  deck,  I  think  it  can  be  run,  but  on  coming  nearer 
I  see  at  its  foot  a  short  turn  to  the  left,  where  the  waters 
pile  up  against  the  cliff.  We  try  to  land,  but  the  water 
is  too  swift  to  reach  the  shore  with  our  two  oars,  so  the 
bow  of  the  boat  is  turned  down  the  stream.  We  shoot 
by  a  big  rock ;  a  reflex  wave  rolls  over  our  little  boat  and 
fills  her.  The  place  is  dangerous,  and  the  other  boats 
are  signalled  to  land  above.  Then  another  wave  rolls 
our  boat  over  but  swimming  is  easy.  It  is  only  necessary 
to  ply  strokes  sufficient  to  keep  my  head  out  of  water, 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon     131 

though  now  and  then,  when  a  breaker  rolls  over  me,  I 
close  my  mouth  and  am  carried  through  it.  The  boat 
is  drifting  twenty  or  thirty  feet  ahead  of  me,  and,  when 
the  great  waves  are  passed,  I  overtake  it,  and  find  Sumner 
and  Dunn  clinging  to  its  sides.  Reaching  quiet  water,  we 
all  swim  to  one  side  and  turn  the  boat  over,  but  Dunn 
loses  his  hold  aud  goes  over.  When  he  comes  up  he  is 
caught  by  Sumner  and  pulled  to  the  boat.  In  the  mean- 
time we  have  drifted  down  the  stream  some  distance  and 
see  another  rapid  below.  How  bad  it  may  be  we  cannot 
tell,  so  we  swim  toward  the  shore,  pulling  our  boat  with 
us  with  all  the  vigor  j)ossible,  but  are  carried  down  much 
faster  than  distance  toward  shore  is  stained.  At  leno-th 
we  reach  a  huge  pile  of  driftwood.  Om*  rolls  of  blankets, 
two  guns,  and  a  barometer  were  in  the  open  part  of  the 
boat  when  it  went  over,  and  these  were  thrown  out.  The 
guns  and  barometer  were  lost,  but  I  succeeded  in  catching 
one  of  the  rolls  of  blankets  as  it  was  floatins;  by.  '  The 
other  two  were  lost.  A  huge  fire  is  built  on  the  bank, 
our  clothing  is  spread  to  dry,  and  then  from  the  drift  logs 
we  select  one  from  which  oars  can  be  made,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  day  is  spent  in  sawing  them  out. 

July  12.  This  morning  the  new  oars  are  finished  and 
we  start  once  more.  We  pass  several  bad  rapids,  making 
a  short  portage  at  one,  and  before  noon  come  to  a  long, 
bad  fall,  where  the  channel  is  filled  with  rocks  on  the  left, 


132  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

turning  the  waters  to  the  right,  where  they  pass  under  an 
overhanging  rock.  On  examination,  we  determine  to  run 
it,  keeping  as  close  to  the  left-hand  rocks  as  safety  will 
permit,.in  order  to  avoid  the  overhanging  cliff.  The  little 
boat  runs  over  all  right ;  another  follows,  but  the  men  are 
not  able  to  keep  her  near  enough  to  the  left  bank,  and 
she  is  carried,  by  a  swift  chute,  into  great  waves  to  the 
right,  where  she  is  tossed  about,  and  Bradley  is  knocked 
over  the  side ;  but  his  foot  catching  under  the  seat,  he  is 
dragged  along  in  the  water,  with  his  head  down  ;  making 
great  exertion,  he  seizes  the  gunwale  with  his  left  hand, 
and  can  lift  his  head  above  water  now  and  then.  To  us 
who  are  below,  it  seems  impossible  to  keep  the  boat  from 
going  under  the  overhanging  cliff;  but  Powell,  for  the 
moment  heedless  of  Bradley's  mishap,  pulls  with  all  his 
power  for  half  a  dozen  strokes,  when  the  danger  is  past ; 
then  he  seizes  Bradley  and  pulls  him  in.  The  men  in 
the  boat  above,  seeing  this,  land,  and  let  it  down  by  lines. 
Just  here  we  emerge  from  the  Canon  of  Desolation,  as  we 
have  named  it,  into  a  more  open  country,  which  extends 
for  a  distance  of  nearly  a  mile,  when  we  enter  another 
canon,  cut  through  gray  sandstone. 

About  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  meet  with  a 
new  difficulty.  The  river  fills  the  entire  channel ;  the 
walls  are  vertical  on  either  side,  from  the  water's  edge, 
and  a  bad   rapid  is  beset  with  rocks.     We  come  to  the 


powI':ll's  journey  through  the  grand  canon    133 

head  of  it,  and  land  ou  a  rock  ki  the  stream ;  the  little 
boat  is  let  down  to  another  rock  below,  the  men  of  the 
larger  boat  holding  to  the  line ;  the  second  boat  is  let 
down  in  the  same  way,  and  the  line  of  the  third  boat  is 
brought  with  them.  Now,  the  third  boat  pushes  out  from 
the  upper  rock,  and  as  we  have  her  line  below,  we  pull  in 
and  catch  her,  as  she  is  sweeping  by  at  the  foot  of  the 
rock  on  which  we  stand.  Again  the  first  boat  is  let  down- 
stream the  full  length  of  her  line,  and  the  second  boat  is 
passed  down  by  the  first  to  the  extent  of  her  line,  which 
is  held  by  the  men  in  the  first  boat ;  so  she  is  two  lines' 
length  from  where  she  started.  Then  the  third  boat  is 
let  down  past  the  second,  and  still  down,  nearly  to  the 
length  of  her  line,  so  that  she  is  fast  to  the  second  boat, 
and  swinging  down  three  lines'  length,  with  the  other  two 
boats  intervening.  Held  in  this  way,  the  men  are  able  to 
pull  her  into  a  cove,  in  the  left  wall,  where  she  is  made 
fast.  But  this  leaves  a  man  on  the  rock  above,  holding 
to  the  line  of  the  little  boat.  When  all  is  ready,  he 
springs  from  the  rock,  clinging  to  the  line  with  one  hand, 
and  swimming  with  the  other,  and  we  pull  him  in  as  he 
goes  by.  As  the  two  boats,  thus  loosened,  drift  down,  the 
men  in  the  cove  pull  us  all  in,  as  we  come  opposite ;  then 
we  pass  around  to  a  point  of  rock  below  the  cove,  close  to 
the  wall,  land,  and  make  a  short  portage  over  the  worst 
places  in  the  rapid,  and  start  again. 


134  PIO^"EERS   OF    THE    WEST 

July  15.  Our  camp  is  in  a  great  bend  of  the  canon. 
The  perimeter  of  the  curve  is  to  the  west,  and  we  are  on 
the  east  side  of  the  river.  Just  opposite,  a  little  stream 
comes  down  through  a  narrow  side  canon.  We  cross  and 
go  up  to  explore  it.  Just  at  its  mouth,  another  lateral 
caiion  enters,  in  the  angle  between  the  former  and  the 
main  canon  above.  Still  another  enters  in  the  angle  be- 
tween the  caiion  below  and  the  side  canon  first  mentioned, 
so  that  three  side  cailons  enter  at  the  same  point.  These 
canons  are  very  tortuous,  almost  closed  in  from  view,  and 
seen  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  they  appear  like 
three  alcoves ;  and  we  name  this  "  Trin- Alcove  Bend." 

Going  up  the  little  stream,  in  the  central  cove,  we  pass 
between  high  walls  of  sandstone,  and  wind  about  in  glens. 
Springs  gush  from  the  rocks  at  the  foot  of  the  walls ;  nar- 
row passages  in  the  rocks  are  threaded,  caves  are  entered, 
and  many  side  canons  are  observed. 

The  right  cove  is  a  narrow,  Avinding  gorge,  with  over- 
hanging walls,  almost  shutting  out  the  light. 

The  left  is  an  amphitheatre,  turning  spirally  up,  with 
overhanging  shelves.  A  series  of  basins,  filled  with  water, 
is  seen  at  different  altitudes,  as  we  pass  up;  huge  rocks 
are  piled  below  on  the  right,  and  overhead  there  is  an 
arched  ceiling.  After  exploring  these  alcoves,  we  recross 
the  river,  and  climb  the  rounded  rocks  on  the  point  of  the 
bend.     In  every  direction,  as  far  as  we  are  able  to  see, 


POWELL  S   JOURNEY   THROUGH   THE    GRAND    CANON      l3o 

naked  rocks  appear.  Biittes  are  scattered  on  the  land- 
scape, here  rounded  into  cones,  there  buttressed,  columned, 
and  carved  in  quaint  shapes,  with  deep  alcoves  and  sunken 
recesses.  All  about  us  are  basins,  excavated  in  the  soft 
sandstones ;  and  these  have  been  filled  by  the  late  rains. 

We  continue  our  journey.  In  many  places  the  walls, 
which  rise  from  the  water's  edge,  are  overhanging  on 
either  side.  The  stream  is  still  quiet,  and  we  glide  along 
through  a  strange,  weird,  grand  region.  The  landscape 
everywhere,  away  from  the  river,  is  of  rock — cliffs  of  rock, 
tables  of  rock,  plateaus  of  rock,  terraces  of  rock,  crags 
of  rock  —  ten  thousand  strangely  carved  forms.  Rocks 
everywhere,  and  no  vegetation,  no  soil,  no  sand.  In 
long  gentle  curves,  the  river  winds  about  these  rocks. 

When  speaking  of  these  rocks,  we  must  not  conceive  of 
piles  of  boulders,  or  heaps  of  fragments,  but  a  whole  land 
of  naked  rock,  with  giant  forms  carved  on  it ;  cathedral- 
shaped  buttes,  towering  hundreds  or  thousands  of  feet ; 
cliffs  that  cannot  be  scaled,  and  canon  walls  that  shrink 
the  river  into  insignificance,  with  vast,  hollow  domes,  and 
tall  pinnacles,  and  shafts  set  on  the  verge  overhead,  and 
all  highly  colored  —  buff,  gray,  red,  brown,  and  chocolate; 
never  lichened,  never  moss-covered,  but  bare,  and  often 
polished. 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  the  water  becomes  swift,  and 
our   boats   make    great    speed.     An    hour   of    this    rapid 


136  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

running  brings  us  to  the  junction  of  the  Grand  and 
Green,  the  foot  of  "  Stillwater  Canon,"  as  we  named  it. 

These  streams  unite  in  solemn  depths,  more  than 
twelve  hundred  feet  below  the  general  surface  of  the 
country.  The  walls  of  the  lower  end  of  Stillwater 
Caiion  are  very  beautifully  curved,  as  the  river  sweeps 
in  its  meandering  course.  The  lower  end  of  the  caiion 
through  which  the  Grand  comes  down  is  also  regular, 
but  mucli  more  direct,  and  we  look  up  this  stream,  and 
out  into  the  country  beyond,  and  obtain  glimpses  of 
snow-clad  peaks,  the  summits  of  a  group  of  mountains 
known  as  the  Sierra  La  Sal.  Down  the  Colorado  the 
canon  walls  are  much  broken. 

AVe  row  around  into  the  Grand,  and  camp  on  its  north- 
west bank ;  and  here  we  propose  to  stay  several  days, 
for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  latitude  and  longitude, 
and  the  altitude  of  the  walls.  Much  of  the  night  is 
spent  in  making  observations  with  the  sextant. 

July  18.  The  day  is  spent  in  spreading  our  rations, 
which,  we  find,  are  badly  injured.  The  flour  has  been 
wet  and  dried  so  many  times  that  it  is  all  musty,  and 
full  of  hard  lumps.  Vie  make  a  sieve  of  mosquito 
netting,  and  run  our  flour  through  it,  losing  more  than 
two  hundred  pounds  by  the  process.  Our  losses,  by 
the  wrecking  of  the  JSfo  Name  and  by  various  mishaps 
since,   together  with    tlie    amount   thrown   away  to-day, 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon    187 

leave  us  little  more  than  two  months'  supplies,  and,  to 
make  them  last  thus  long,  we  must  be  fortunate  enough 
to  lose  no  more. 

We  drag  our  boats  on  shore,  and  turn  them  over  to 
recalk  and  pitch  them,  and  Sumner  is  engaged  in  repair- 
ing barometers.  While  we  are  here  for  a  day  or  two, 
resting,  we  propose  to  put  everythmg  in  the  best  shape 
for  a  vigorous  campaign. 

July  22.  This  morning,  w^e  continue  our  journey, 
though  short  of  oars.  There  is  no  timber  growing  on  the 
walls  within  our  reach,  and  no  driftwood  along  the  banks, 
so  we  are  compelled  to  go  on  until  something  suitable  can 
be  found.  A  mile  and  three-quarters  below  we  find  a  huge 
pile  of  driftwood,  among  which  are  some  cottonwood  logs. 
From  these  we  select  one  which  we  think  the  best,  and 
the  men  are  set  at  work  sawing;  oars.  Our  boats  are 
leaking  again  from  the  strains  received  in  the  bad  rapids 
yesterday,  so,  after  dinner,  they  are  turned  over,  and  some 
of  the  men  are  engaged  in  calking  them. 

Captain  Powell  and  I  go  out  to  climb  the  wall  to  the 
east,  for  we  can  see  dwarf  pines  above,  and  it  is  our 
purpose  to  collect  the  resin  which  oozes  from  them,  to 
use  in  pitching  our  boats.  We  take  a  barometer  with 
us,  and  find  that  the  walls  are  becoming  higher,  for 
now  they  register  an  altitude,  above  the  river,  of  nearly 
fifteen  hundred  feet. 


138  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

Our  way,  after  dinner,  is  through  a  gorge,  grand 
beyond  description.  The  walls  are  nearly  vertical ;  the 
river  broad  and  swift,  but  free  from  rocks  and  falls. 
From  the  edge  of  the  water  to  the  brink  of  the  cliffs 
it  is  sixteen  hundred  to  eighteen  hundred  feet.  At  this 
great  depth  the  river  rolls  in  solemn  majesty.  The 
cliffs  are  reflected  from  the  more  quiet  river,  and  we 
seem  to  be  in  the  depths  of  the  earth,  and  yet  can  look 
down  into  the  waters  that  reflect  a  bottomless  abyss. 
We  arrive,  early  in  the  afternoon,  at  the  head  of  more 
rapids  and  falls,  but,  wearied  with  past  work,  we  deter- 
mine to  rest,  so  go  into  camp,  and  the  afternoon  and 
evening  are  spent  by  the  men  in  discussing  the  proba- 
bilities of  successfully  navigating  the  river  below.  The 
barometric  records  are  examined,  to  see  what  descent 
has  been  made  since  we  left  the  Pacific  Railroad,  and 
what  fall  there  yet  must  be  to  the  river,  ere  we  reach 
the  end  of  the  great  canons.  The  conclusion  at 
which  the  men  arrive  seems  to  be  this :  that  there 
aue  great  descents  yet  to  be  made,  but  if  they  are  dis- 
tributed in  rapids  and  short  falls,  as  they  have  been 
heretofore,  we  will  be  able  to  overcome  them.  But 
maybe  we  shall  come  to  a  fall  in  these  canons  which 
we  cannot  pass,  where  the  walls  rise  from  the  water's 
edge,  so  that  we  cannot  land,  and  where  the  water  is 
so  swift  that  we  cannot  return.     Such  places  have  been 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon     139 

found,  except  that  the  falls  were  not  so  great  but  that 
we  could  run  them  with  safety.  How  will  it  be  in  the 
future  ?  So  we  speculate  over  the  serious  probabilities 
in  jesting  mood,  and  I  hear  Sumner  remark,  "  My  idea 
is,  we  had  better  go  slow,  and  learn  to  paddle." 

July  26.  High-water  mark  can  be  observed  forty, 
fifty,  sixty,  or  a  hundred  feet  above  its  present  stage. 
Sometimes  logs  and  driftwood  are  seen  wedged  into  the 
crevices  overhead,  where  floods  have  carried  them. 

July  27.  Late  in  the  afternoon  we  pass  to  the  left, 
around  a  sharp  point,  which  is  somewhat  broken  down 
near  the  foot,  and  discover  a  flock  of  mountain  sheep 
on  the  rocks,  more  than  a  hundred  feet  above  us.  AVe 
quickly  land  in  a  cove,  out  of  sight,  and  away  go  all 
the  hunters  with  their  guns,  for  the  sheep  have  not  dis- 
covered us.  Soon,  we  hear  firing,  and  those  of  us  who 
have  remained  in  the  boats  climb  up  to  see  what  success 
the  hunters  have  had.  One  sheep  has  been  killed,  and 
two  of  the  men  are  still  pursuing  them.  In  a  few  min- 
utes we  hear  firing  again,  and  the  next  moment  down 
come  the  flock,  clattering  over  the  rocks,  within  twenty 
yards  of  us.  One  of  the  hunters  seizes  his  gun,  and 
brings  a  second  sheep  down,  and  the  next  minute  the 
remainder  of  the  flock  is  lost  behind  the  rocks.  We  all 
give  chase ;  but  it  is  impossible  to  follow  their  tracks 
over  the  naked  rock,  and  we  see  them  no  more.     Where 


140  .  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

they  went  out  of  this  rock-walled  canon  is  a  mystery, 
for  we  can  see  no  way  of  escape.  Doubtless,  if  we 
could  spare  the  time  for  the  search,  we  could  find  some 
gulch  up  which  they  ran. 

We  lash  our  prizes  to  the  deck  of  one  of  the  boats, 
and  go  on  for  a  short  distance ;  but  fresh  meat  is 
too  tempting  for  us,  and  we  stop  early  to  have  a  feast. 
And  a  feast  it  is,  —  two  fine,  young  sheep.  We  care 
not  for  bread,  or  beans,  or  dried  apples  to-night;  coffee 
and  mutton  is  all  we  ask. 

August  7.  The  almanac  tells  us  that  we  are  to  have 
an  eclipse  of  the  sun  to-day,  so  Captain  Powell  and 
myself  start  early,  taking  our  instruments  with  us  to 
take  observations  of  the  eclipse,  to  determine  the  lati- 
tude and  longitude.  After  four  hours  of  hard  climbing 
we  reach  a  height  of  twenty-three  hundred  feet  above 
the  river,  but  the  clouds  come  on,  the  rain  falls,  and  the 
sun  and  moon  are  obscured.  Much  disappointed,  we 
start  upon  our  return  to  camp,  but  it  is  late,  and  the 
clouds  make  the  night  very  dark.  For  two  or  three 
hours  we  feel  our  way  down  among  the  rocks.  At  last 
we  get  lost  and  cannot  proceed.  In  the  darkness  w^e 
dare  not  move  about,  but  sit  and  wear  out  the  night. 
Daylight  comes  after  a  long,  long  night,  and  we  soon 
reach  camp.  After  breakfast  we  start  again  and  make 
two    portages    during    the    forenoon.      The    limestone    is 


Powell's  journey  THRorr4H  the  grand  canon     141 

often  polished  and  makes  a  beautiful  marble.  Some- 
times the  rocks  are  of  many  colors,  white,  gray,  pink, 
and  purple  with  saffron  tints.  And  now  the  scenery 
is  on  a  grand  scale.  The  walls  of  the  caiion,  twenty- 
five  hundred  feet  high,  are  of  many-colored  marbles," 
often  polished  by  the  waves  far  up  the  sides,  where 
showers  have  washed  the  sands  over  the  cliffs. 

August  10.  The  walls  are  still  higher.  We  pass 
several  ragged  cailons  on  our  right,  and  up  through  these 
we  catch  glimpses  of  a  forest-clad  plateau  miles  away  to 
the  west.  At  two  o'clock  we  reach  the  mouth  of  the 
Little  Colorado.  This  stream  enters  the  canon  on  a  scale 
quite  as  grand  as  that  of  the  Colorado  itself.  It  is  a  very 
small  river  and  exceedingly  muddy  and  salt. 

August  12.  We  si^end  a  day  at  the  junction  of  these 
two  rivers,  and  I  climb  to  an  altitude  of  nearly  two  thou- 
sand feet  to  get  a  glimpse  of  the  three  great  cartons  which 
meet  at  this  point. 

I  can  see  far  up  the  Marble  Caiion,  also  up  the  caiion 
of  the  Little  Colorado,  which  is  very  ragged  and  broken. 
We  find  from  the  barometer  that  these  canons  are  about 
three  thousand  feet  deep. 

Since  leaving  the  mouth  of  the  Grand  River  we  have 
travelled  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  through 
a  series  of  great  canons,  but  a  still  deeper  and  grander 
canon  lies  unexplored  before  us. 


142  PIONEERS    OF    THE   WEST 

August  13.  Vtfe  are  now  ready  to  start  on  our  way 
down  the  Great  Unknown.  Our  boats,  tied  to  a  common 
stake,  are  chafing  each  other,  as  they  are  tossed  by  the 
fretful  river.  They  ride  high  and  buoyant,  for  their  loads 
'  are  lighter  than  we  could  desire.  We  have  but  a  month's 
rations  remaining.  The  flour  has  been  resifted  through 
the  mosquito  net  sieve ;  the  spoiled  bacon  has  been  dried 
and  the  worst  of  it  boiled ;  the  few  pounds  of  dried  apples 
have  been  spread  in  the  sun  and  reshrunken  to  their 
normal  bulk ;  the  sugar  has  all  melted,  and  gone  on  its 
way  down  the  river :  but  we  have  a  large  sack  of  coffee. 
The  lighting  of  the  boats  has  this  advantage :  they  will 
ride  the  waves  better,  and  we  shall  have  but  little  to 
carry  when  we  make  a  portage. 

We  are  three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  the  depths  of  the 
earth,  and  the  great  river  shrinks  into  insignificance,  as  it 
dashes  its  angry  waves  against  the  walls  and  cliffs  that 
rise  to  the  world  above ;  they  are  but  puny  ripples,  and 
we  but  pigmies,  running  up  and  down  the  sands  or  lost 
among  the  boulders. 

We  have  an  unknown  distance  yet  to  run ;  an 
unknown  river  yet  to  explore.  What  falls  there  are, 
we  know  not;  what  rocks  beset  the  channel,  we  know 
not ;  what  walls  rise  over  the  river,  we  know  not. 
Ah,  well !  we  may  conjecture  many  things.  The  men 
talk  as  cheerfully  as  ever,  jests  are  bandied  about  freely 


The  Colorado  Canon 


1J:4  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

this  morning ;  but  to  me  the  cheer  is  sombre  and  the 
jests  are  ghastly. 

August  14.  At  daybreak  we  walk  down  the  bank  of 
the  river,  on  a  little  sandy  beach,  to  take  a  view  of  a  new 
feature  in  the  cailon.  Heretofore  hard  rocks  have  given 
us  bad  river ;  soft  rocks,  smooth  water ;  and  a  series  of 
rocks  harder  than  any  we  have  experienced  sets  in.  The 
river  enters  the  granite  !  We  can  see  but  a  little  way 
into  the  granite  gorge,  but  it  looks  threatening. 

After  breakfast  we  enter  on  the  waves.  At  the  very 
introduction,  it  inspires  awe.  The  canon  is  narrower  than 
we  have  ever  before  seen  it,  the  water  is  swifter,  there 
are  but  few  broken  rocks  in  the  channel ;  but  the  walls 
are  set,  on  either  side,  with  pinnacles  and  crags ;  and 
sharp  angular  buttresses,  bristling  with  wind-and-wave 
polished  spires,  extend  far  out  into  the  river. 

Ledges  of  rocks  jut  into  the  stream,  their  tops  some- 
times just  below  the  surface,  sometimes  rising  few  or 
many  feet  above ;  and  island  ledges  and  island  pinnacles 
and  island  towers  break  the  swift  course  of  the  stream 
into  chutes  and  eddies  and  whirlpools.  We  soon  reach 
a  place  where  a  creek  comes  in  from  the  left,  and  just 
below  the  channel  is  choked  with  boulders,  which  have 
washed  down  this  lateral  cailon  and  formed  a  dam,  over 
which  there  is  a  fall  of  thirty  or  forty  feet ;  but  on  the 
boulders  we  can  get  foothold,  and  we  make  a  portage. 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon     145 

Three  more  such  clams  are  found.  Over  one  we  make 
a  portage ;  at  the  other  two  we  find  chutes,  through 
which  we  can  run. 

As  we  proceed,  the  granite  rises  higher,  until  nearly  a 
thousand  feet  of  the  lower  part  of  the  walls  are  composed 
of  this  rock. 

About  eleven  o'clock  we  hear  a  great  roar  ahead,  and 
approach  it  very  cautiously.  The  sound  grows  louder  and 
louder  as  we  run,  and  at  last  we  find  ourselves  above  a 
long,  broken  fall,  with  ledges  and  pinnacles  of  rock  ob- 
structing the  river.  There  is  a  descent  of,  perhaps, 
seventy-five  or  eighty  feet  in  a  third  of  a  mile,  and  the 
rushing  waters  break  into  great  waves  on  the  rocks,  and 
lash  themselves  into  a  mad,  white  foam.  We  can  land 
just  above,  but  there  is  no  foothold  on  either  side  by 
which  we  can  make  a  portage.  It  is  nearly  a  thousand 
feet  to  the  top  of  the  granite,  so  it  will  be  impossible  to 
carry  our  boats  around,  though  we  can  climb  to  the 
summit  up  a  side  gulch,  and,  passing  along  a  mile  or  two, 
can  descend  to  the  river.  This  we  find  on  examination ; 
but  such  a  portage  would  be  impracticable  for  us,  and  we 
must  run  the  rapid  or  abandon  the  river.  There  is  no 
hesitation.  We  step  into  our  boats,  push  oft"  and  away 
we  go,  first  on  smooth  but  swift  water,  then  we  strike  a 
glassy  wave,  and  ride  to  its  top,  down  again  into  the 
trough,  up  again  on  a  higher  wave,  and  down  and  up  on 


146  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

waves  higher  and  still  higher,  until  we  strike  one  just  as 
it  curls  back,  and  a  breaker  rolls  over  our  little  boat. 
Still,  on  we  speed,  shooting  past  projecting  rocks,  till  the 
little  boat  is  caught  in  a  whirlpool,  and  spun  around 
several  times.  At  last  we  pull  out  again  into  the  stream, 
and  now  the  other  boats  have  passed  us.  The  open  com- 
partment of  the  Emma  Dean  is  filled  with  water,  and 
every  breaker  rolls  over  us.  Hurled  back  from  a  rock, 
now  on  this  side,  now  on  that,  we  are  carried  into  an 
eddy,  in  which  we  struggle  for  a  few  minutes,  and  are 
then  out  again,  the  breakers  still  rolling  over  us.  Our 
boat  is  unmanageable,  but  she  cannot  sink,  and  we  drift 
down  another  hundred  yards,  through  breakers  ;  how,  we 
scarcely  know.  We  find  the  other  boats  have  turned  into 
an  eddy  at  the  foot  of  the  fall,  and  are  waiting  to  catch 
us  as  we  come,  for  the  men  have  seen  that  our  boat  is 
swamped.  They  push  out  as  we  come  near,  and  pull  us 
in  against  the  wall.  We  bail  our  boat,  and  on  we  go 
again. 

The  walls,  now,  are  more  than  a  mile  in  height  —  a 
vertical  distance  difficult  to  appreciate.  Stand  on  the 
south  steps  of  the  Treasury  building  in  Washington, 
and  look  down  Pennsylvania  Avenue  to  the  Capitol 
Park,  and  measure  this  distance  overhead,  and  imagine 
cliffs  to  extend  to  that  altitude,  and  you  will  under- 
stand what    I    mean  ;  or    stand  at  Canal  Street  in  New 


POWELL'S   JOURNEY   THROUGH   THE    GRAND    CANON      147 

York,  and  look  up  Broadway  to  Grace  Church,  and  you 
will  have  about  the  distance;  or  stand  at  Lake  Street 
bridge  in  Chicago,  and  look  down  to  the  Central  Depot, 
and  you  have  it  again.  A  thousand  feet  of  this  is  up 
through  granite  crags,  then  steep  slopes  and  perpendicular 
cliffs  rise,  one  above  another,  to  the  summit.  The  gorge 
is  black  and  narrow  below,  red  and  gray  and  flaring 
above,  with  crags  and  angular  projections  on  the  walls, 
which,  cut  in  many  places  by  side  canons,  seem  to  be 
a  vast  wilderness  of  rocks.  Down  in  these  grand 
gloomy  depths  we  glide,  ever  listening,  for  the  mad 
waters  keep  up  their  roar ;  ever  watching,  ever  peering 
ahead,  for  the  narrow  caiion  is  winding,  and  the  river 
is  closed  in  so  that  we  can  see  but  a  few  hundred 
yards,  and  what  there  may  be  below  we  know  not ; 
but  we  listen  for  falls  and  watch  for  rocks,  or  stop 
now  and  then,  in  the  bay  of  a  recess,  to  admire  the 
gigantic  scenery.  And  ever,  as  we  go,  there  is  some 
new  pinnacle  or  tower,  some  crag  or  peak,  some  dis- 
tant view  of  the  upper  plateau,  some  strange-shaped 
rock,  or  some  deep,  narrow  side  canon.  Then  we  come 
to  another  broken  fall,  which  appears  more  difficult  than 
the  one  we  ran  this  morning. 

It  is  not  easy  to  describe  the  labor  of  such  naviga- 
tion. \Ye  must  prevent  the  waves  from  dashing  the 
boats  against  the  cliffs.     Sometimes,  where   the    river  is 


lis  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

swift,  we  must  put  a  bight  of  rope  about  a  rock,  to 
prevent  her  being  snatched  from  us  by  a  wave ;  but 
where  the  phnige  is  too  great,  or  the  chute  too  swift, 
we  must  let  lier  leap,  and  catch  her  below,  or  the 
undertow  will  drag  her  under  the  falling  water,  and 
she  sinks.  Where  we  wish  to  run  her  out  a  little 
way  from  the  shore,  through  a  channel  between  rocks, 
we  first  throw  in  little  sticks  of  driftwood,  and  watch 
their  course,  to  see  where  we  must  steer,  so  that  she 
will  pass  the  channel  in  safety.  And  so  we  hold,  and 
let  go,  and  pull,  and  lift,  and  ward,  among  rocks, 
around  rocks,  and  over  rocks. 

And  now  we  go  on  through  this  solemn,  mysterious 
way.  The  river  is  very  deep,  the  cailon  very  narrow 
and  still  obstructed,  so  that  there  is  no  steady  flow  of 
the  stream ;  but  the  waters  wheel  and  roll  and  boil, 
and  we  are  scarcely  able  to  determine  where  we  can 
go.  Now,  the  boat  is  carried  to  the  right,  perhaps 
close  to  the  wall ;  again,  she  is  shot  into  the  stream, 
and  perhaps  is  dragged  over  to  the  other  side,  where, 
caught  in  a  whirlpool,  she  spins  about.  We  can 
neither  land  nor  run  as  we  please.  The  boats  are  en- 
tirely unmanageable ;  no  order  in  their  running  can  be 
preserved;  now  one,  now  another  is  ahead,  each  crevv 
laboring  for  its  own  preservation.  In  such  a  place  we 
come  to  anotlier  rapid.     Two  of  the  boats  run  it  perforce. 


Powell's  joukney  through  the  grand  canox     149 

It  rains !  Rapidly  little  rills  are  formed  above,  and 
these  soon  grow  into  brooks,  and  the  brooks  grow  into 
creeks,  and  tumble  over  the  walls  in  innumerable  cas- 
cades, adding  their  wild  music  to  the  roar  of  the  river. 
When  the  rain  ceases,  the  rills,  brooks,  and  creeks  run 
dry.  The  waters  that  fall,  during  a  rain,  on  these 
steep  rocks,  are  gathered  at  once  into  the  river ;  they 
could  scarcely  be  poured  in  more  suddenly,  if  some 
vast  spout  ran  from  the  clouds  to  the  stream  itself. 
When  a  storm  bursts  over  the  cailon,  a  side  gulch  is 
dangerous,  for  a  sudden  flood  may  come,  and  the  inpour- 
ing  waters  will  raise  the  river  so  as  to  hide  the  rocks 
before  your  eyes.  Early  in  the  afternoon  we  discover 
a  stream  entering  from  the  north,  a  clear,  beautiful 
creek,  coming  down  through  a  gorgeous  red  cailon. 
We  land  and  camp  on  a  sandbeach,  above  its  mouth, 
under  a  great,  overspreading  tree,  with  willow-shaped 
leaves. 

August  16.  We  must  dry  our  rations  again  to-day, 
and  make  oars. 

The  Colorado  is  never  a  clear  stream,  but  for  the 
past  three  or  four  days  it  has  been  raining  much  of 
the  time,  and  the  floods  which  are  poured  over  the 
walls  have  brought  down  great  quantities  of  mud, 
making  it  exceedingly  turbid  now.  The  little  affluent 
which    we    have    discovered    here    is    a    clear,    beautiful 


150  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

creek,  or  river  as  it  would  be  termed  in  this  western 
country,  where  streams  are  not  abundant.  We  have 
named  one  stream,  away  above,  in  honor  of  the  great 
chief  of  the  "  Bad  Angels,"  and  as  this  is  in  beautiful 
contrast  to  that,  we  conclude  to  name  it  "  Bright 
Angel." 

August  17.  Our  rations  are  still  spoiling;  the  bacon 
is  so  badly  injured  that  we  are  compelled  to  throw  it 
away.  By  an  accident,  this  morning,  the  saleratus  is 
lost  overboard.  We  have  now  only  musty  flour  suffi- 
cient for  ten  days,  a  few  dried  apples,  but  plenty  of 
coffee.  We  must  make  all  haste  possible.  If  we  meet 
with  difficulties,  as  we  have  done  in  the  cailon  above, 
we  may  be  compelled  to  give  up  the  expedition,  and 
try  to  reach  the  Mormon  settlements  to  the  north. 
Our  hopes  are  that  the  worst  places  are  passed ;  but 
our  barometers  are  all  so  much  injured  as  to  be  use- 
less, so  we  have  lost  our  reckoning  in  altitude,  and 
know  not  how  much  descent  the  river  has  yet  to 
make. 

The  stream  is  still  wild  and  rapid,  and  rolls  through 
a  narrow  channel.  We  make  but  slow  progress,  often 
landing  against  a  wall,  and  climbing  around  some 
point,  where  we  can  see  the  river  below.  Although 
very  anxious  to  advance,  we  are  determined  to  run 
with  great    caution,  lest    by    another    accident    we    lose 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon  151 

all  our  supplies.  How  precious  that  little  flour  has 
become  !  We  divide  it  among  the  boats,  and  carefully 
store  it  away,  so  that  it  can  be  lost  only  by  the  loss 
of  the  boat  itself. 

We  make  ten  miles  and  a  half,  and  camp  among 
the  rocks,  on  the  right.  We  have  had  rain,  from  time 
to  time,  all  day,  and  have  been  thoroughly  drenched 
and  chilled ;  but  between  showers  the  sun  shines  with 
great  power,  and  the  mercury  in  our  thermometers 
stands  at  115°,  so  that  we  have  rapid  changes  from 
great  extremes,  which  are  very  disagreeable.  It  is 
especially  cold  in  the  rain  to-night.  The  little  canvas 
we  have  is  rotten  and  useless ;  the  rublier  ponchos, 
with  which  we  started  from  Green  River  City,  have 
all  been  lost ;  more  than  half  the  party  is  without  hats, 
and  not  one  of  us  has  an  entire  suit  of  clothes,  and  we 
have  not  a  blanket  apiece.  So  we  gather  driftwood, 
and  build  a  fire ;  but  after  supper  the  rain,  coming 
down  in  torrents,  extinguishes  it,  and  we  sit  up  all 
night  on  the  rocks,  shivering,  and  are  more  exhausted 
by  the  night's  discomfort  than  by  the  day's  toil. 

August  19.  Rain  again  this  morning.  Still  we  are  in 
our  granite  prison,  and  the  time  is  occupied  until  noon 
in  making  a  long  bad  portage. 

After  dinner,  in  running  a  rapid  the  pioneer  boat  is 
upset  by  a  wave.     We  are  some  distance  in  advance  of 


152  pionep:rs  of  the  west 

the  larger  boats,  the  river  is  rough  and  swift,  and  we  are 
unable  to  land,  but  cling  to  the  boat,  and  are  carried 
down-stream,  over  another  rapid.  The  men  in  the  boats 
above  see  our  trouble,  but  they  are  caught  in  whirlpools 
and  are  spinning  about  in  eddies,  and  it  seems  a  long  time 
before  they  come  to  our  relief.  At  last  they  do  come ; 
our  boat  is  turned  right  side  up  and  bailed  out ;  the  oars, 
which  fortunately  have  floated  along  in  company  with  us, 
are  gathered  up,  and  on  we  go,  without  even  landing. 

Soon  after  the  accident  the  clouds  break  away,  and  we 
have  sunshine  aijrain. 

Soon  we  find  a  little  beach,  with  just  room  enough  to 
land.  Here  we  camp,  but  there  is  no  wood.  Across  the 
river,  and  a  little  way  above,  we  see  some  driftwood 
lodged  in  the  rocks.  So  we  bring  two  boat-loads  over, 
build  a  huge  fire,  and  spread  everything  to  dry.  It  is  the 
first  cheerful  night  we  have  had  for  a  week,  —  a  warm, 
drying  fire  in  the  midst  of  the  camp,  and  a  few  bright 
stars  in  our  patch  of  -heavens  overhead. 

The  river  is  still  rapid,  and  we  stop  to  let  down  with 
lines  several  times,  but  make  greater  progress,  as  we  run 
ten  miles.  We  camp  on  the  right  bank.  Here,  on  a  ter- 
race of  trap,  we  discover  another  group  of  ruins.  There 
was  evidently  quite  a  village  on  this  rock.  Again  we 
find  mealing  stones,  and  much  broken  pottery ;  and  up  in 
a  little  natural  shelf  in  the  rock,  back  of  the  ruins,  we 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon  153 

find  a  globular  basket,  that  would  hold  perhaps  a  thh^d  of 
a  bushel.  It  is  badly  broken,  and  as  I  attempt  to  take 
it  up,  it  falls  to  pieces.  There  are  many  beautiful  flint 
chips,  as  if  this  had  been  the  home  of  an  old  arrow- 
maker. 

Below,  the  river  turns  again  to  the  right,  the  canon  is 
very  narrow,  and  we  see  in  advance  but  a  short  distance. 
The  water,  too,  is  very  swift,  and  there  is  no  landing- 
place.  From  around  this  curve  there  comes  a  mad  roar, 
and  down  we  are  carried  with  a  dizzy  velocity  to  the  head 
of  another  raj^id.  On  either  side,  high  over  our  heads, 
there  are  overhanging  granite  walls,  and  the  sharp  bends 
cut  off  our  view,  so  that  a  few  minutes  will  carry  us  into 
unknown  waters.  Away  we  go,  on  one  long,  winding 
chute.  I  stand  on  deck,  supporting  myself  with  a  strap, 
fastened  on  either  side  to  the  gunwale,  and  the  boat 
glides  rapidly,  where  the  water  is  smooth,  or,  striking  a 
wave,  she  leaps  and  bounds  like  a  thing  of  life,  and  we 
have  a  wild  exhilarating  ride  for  ten  miles,  which  we 
make  in  less  than  an  hour.  The  excitement  is  so  great 
that  we  forget  the  danger  until  we  hear  the  roar  of  a 
great  fall  below ;  then  we  back  on  our  oars,  and  are  car- 
ried slowly  toward  its  head,  and  succeed  in  landing  just 
above,  and  find  that  we  have  to  make  another  portage. 
At  this  we  are  engaged  until  some  time  after  dinner. 
Just  here  we  run  out  of  the  granite. 


154  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

Ten  miles  in  less  than  half  a  day,  and  limestone  walls 
below.  Good  cheer  returns ;  we  forget  the  storms  and 
the  gloom,  and  cloud-covered  canons,  and  the  black 
granite,  and  the  raging  river,  and  push  oiu'  boats  from 
shore  in  great  glee. 

Since  we  left  the  Colorado  Chiquito,  we  have  seen  no 
evidences  that  the  tribe  of  Indians  inhabiting  the  plateaus 
on  either  side  ever  come  down  to  the  river ;  but  about 
eleven  o'clock  to-day  we  discover  an  Indian  garden  at  the 
foot  of  the  wall  on  the  right,  just  where  a  little  stream, 
with  a  narrow  flood  plain,  comes  down  through  a  side 
canon.  Along  the  valley,  the  Indians  have  planted  corn, 
using  the  water  which  bursts  out  in  springs  at  the  foot  of 
the  cliff  for  irrigation.  The  corn  is  looking  well,  but  is  not 
sufficiently  advanced  to  give  us  roasting  ears ;  but  there 
are  some  nice  green  squashes.  We  carry  ten  or  a  dozen 
of  these  on  board  our  boats,  and  hurriedly  leave,  not  will- 
ing to  be  caught  in  the  robbing,  yet  excusing  ourselves 
by  pleading  our  want.  We  run  down  a  short  distance,  to 
where  we  feel  certain  no  Indians  can  follow ;  and  what  a 
kettle  of  squash  sauce  we  make !  True,  we  have  no  salt 
with  which  to  season  it,  but  it  makes  a  fine  addition  to  our 
unleavened  bread  and  coffee.  Never  was  fruit  so  sweet 
as  these  stolen  squashes. 

After  dinner  we  push  on  again,  making  fine  time,  find- 
ing many  rapids,  but  none  so  bad  that  we   cannot  run 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon     155 

them  with  safety ;  and  when  we  stop,  just  at  dusk,  and 
foot  up  our  reckoning,  we  find  we  have  run  thirty- five 
miles  again. 

What  a  supper  we  make,  —  unleavened  bread,  green 
squash  sauce,  and  strong  coffee.  We  have  been  for  a  few 
days  on  half-rations,  but  we  have  no  stint  of  roast  squash. 

About  eleven  o'clock  we  come  to  a  place  in  the  river 
where  it  seems  much  worse  than  any  we  have  yet  met 
in  all  its  course.  A  little  creek  comes  down  from  the 
left.  We  land  first  on  the  right,  and  clamber  up  over  the 
granite  pinnacles  for  a  mile  or  two,  but  can  see  no  way 
by  which  we  can  let  down,  and  to  run  it  would  be  sure 
destruction.  After  dinner  we  cross  to  examine  it  on  the 
left.  High  above  the  river  we  can  walk  along  on  the 
granite,  which  is  broken  off  at  the  edge,  and  set  with 
crags  and  pinnacles,  so  that  it  is  very  difficult  to  get  a 
view  of  the  river  at  all. 

Still  another  hour  is  spent  in  examining  the  river  from 
this  side,  but  no  good  view  of  it  is  obtained,  so  now  we 
return  to  the  side  that  was  first  examined,  and  the  after- 
noon is  spent  in  clambering  among  tlie  crags  and  pinna- 
cles, and  carefully  scanning  the  river  again.  We  find 
that  the  lateral  streams  have  washed  boulders  into  the 
river,  so  as  to  form  a  dam,  over  which  the  water  makes 
a  broken  fall  of  eighteen  or  twenty  feet ;  then  there  is  a 
rapid,  beset  with  rocks,  for  two  or  three  hundred  yards. 


156  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

while  on  the  other  side  points  of  the  wall  project  into  the 
river.  Then  there  is  a  second  fall  below  ;  how  great,  we 
cannot  tell.  Then  there  is  a  rapid,  filled  with  hnge  rocks, 
for  one  or  two  hundred  yards.  At  the  bottom  of  it,  from 
the  right  wall  a  great  rock  projects  quite  halfway  across 
the  river.  It  has  a  sloping  surface  extending  up-stream, 
and  the  water,  coming  down  with  all  the  momentum 
gained  in  the  falls  and  rapids  above,  rolls  up  this  inclined 
plane  many  feet,  and  tumbles  over  to  the  left.  I  decide 
that  it  is  possible  to  let  down  over  the  first  fall,  then  run 
near  the  right  cliff  to  a  point  just  above  the  second, 
where  we  can  pull  out  into  a  little  chute,  and,  having  run 
over  that  in  safety,  we  must  jjull  with  all  our  power 
across  the  stream,  to  avoid  the  great  rock  below.  On  my 
return  to  the  boat,  I  announce  to  the  men  that  we  are  to 
run  it  in  the  morning.  Then  we  cross  the  river,  and  go 
into  camp  for  the  night  on  some  rocks,  in  the  mouth  of 
the  little  side  canon. 

After  supper  Captain  Howland  asks  to  have  a  talk 
with  me.  We  walk  up  the  creek  a  short  distance,  and 
I  soon  find  that  his  object  is  to  remonstrate  against  my 
determination  to  proceed.  He  thinks  that  we  had  better 
abandon  the  river  here.  Talking  with  him  I  learn  that 
his  brother,  William  Dunn,  and  himself  have  determined 
to  go  no  farther  in  the  boats.  So  we  return  to  camp. 
Nothing  is  said  to  the  other  men. 


po>yell"s  journey  through  the  grand  canon     157 

For  two  clajs  our  course  has  not  been  plotted.  I 
sit  down  now  to  find  out  where  we  are  by  dead  reckon- 
ing. It  is  a  clear  night  and  I  take  out  the  sextant  to 
make  an  observation  for  latitude,  and  I  find  that  my 
observation  on  the  planet  agrees  very  nearly  with  the 
plot.  In  a  direct  line  we  must  be  about  forty-five 
miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Virgin.  This  means 
probably  eighty  or  ninety  miles  by  the  winding  course 
of  the  river.  Twenty  miles  up  the  Rio  Virgin  are  settle- 
ments. But  we  know  that  the  Grand  Caiion  ends 
many  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Virgin.  I  wake 
Rowland  and  show  him  my  map  and  conclusions. 

The  men  sleep,  but  I  pace  up  and  down  the  sandy  beach 
of  the  river.  Is  it  wise  to  go  on  ?  The  river  seems  to 
bend  to  the  south  and  enter  the  granite  walls  again. 
I  am  not  sure  that  we  can  climb  out  of  the  canon  here, 
and  above  on  the  plateau  is  a  desert,  and  it  is  seventy-five 
miles  to  the  nearest  Mormon  town.  For  years  I  have 
been  thinking  of  this  trip,  and  now  to  leave  the  explo- 
ration unfinished  when  it  is  already  almost  completed  — 
this  is  more  than  I  am  willing  to  do,  and  I  determine  to 
go  on.  I  wake  my  brother  and  tell  him  of  Rowland's 
determination,  and  he  promises  to  stay  with  me ;  then 
I  call  up  Hawkins,  the  cook,  and  he  makes  a  like 
promise ;  then  Sumner,  Bradley,  and  Hall,  and  they 
all  agree  to  go  on. 


158  PIONEERS    OF    THE   WEST 

August  28.  At  last  dcaylight  comes,  and  we  have 
breakfast  without  a  word  being  said  about  the  future. 
The  meal  is  as  solemn  as  a  funeral.  After  breakfast 
I  ask  the  three  men  if  they  still  think  it  best  to  leave 
us.  The  elder  Rowland  thinks  it  is,  and  Dunn  agrees 
with  him.  The  younger  Howland  tries  to  persuade  them 
to  go  on  with  the  party,  failing  in  which,  he  decides  to 
go  with  his  brother. 

We  decide  to  abandon  the  smaller  boat,  as  it  is  much 
disabled  and  because  of  loss  of  hands.  Two  rifles  and 
a  shotgun  are  given  to  the  men  who  are  going  out. 
I  ask  them  to  help  themselves  to  the  rations  and  take 
what  they  think  to  be  a  fair  share.  This  they  refuse, 
saying  they  have  no  fear  but  that  they  can  get  some- 
thing to  eat ;  but  Billy,  the  cook,  has  a  pan  of  biscuit 
prepared  for  dinner  and  these  he  leaves  on  a  rock. 

We  leave  our  barometers,  fossils,  minerals,  and  some 
ammunition  on  the  rocks,  so  as  to  go  over  this  place  as 
light  as  possible.  The  three  men  help  us  lift  our  boats 
over  a  rock  twenty  or  thirty  feet  high,  and  let  them 
down  again  over  the  first  fall ;  and  now  we  are  ready  for 
the  start.  The  last  thing  before  leaving,  I  write  a  letter 
to  my  wife  and  give  it  to  Howland.  The  records  of 
the  expedition  have  been  kept  in  duplicate.  One  set  of 
these  is  given  to  Howland,  and  now  we  are  ready.  For 
the  last  time  they  entreat  us  not  to  go,  and  tell  us  that 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon     159 

it  is  madness ;  that  the  river  turns  again  into  the 
granite ;  that  a  few  miles  of  such  falls  and  rapids  will 
exhaust  our  provisions,  and  then  it  will  be  too  late 
to  climb  out.  Some  tears  are  shed ;  it  is  rather  a 
solemn  parting.  Each  party  thinks  the  other  is  tak- 
ing the  dangerous  course. 

The  Maid  of  the  Canon  pushes  out.  We  glide 
rapidly  along  the  foot  of  the  wall,  just  grazing  one 
great  rock,  then  pull  out  a  little  into  the  chute  of  the 
second  fall,  and  plunge  over  it.  The  open  compartment 
is  filled  when  we  strike  the  first  wave-blow,  but  we 
cut  through  it,  and  then  the  men  pull  with  all  their 
power  toward  the  left  wall,  and  swing  clear  of  the 
dangerous  rock  below  all  right.  We  are  scarcely  a 
minute  in  running  it,  and  find  that,  although  it  looked 
bad  above,  we  have  passed  many  places  that  were 
worse. 

The  other  boat  follows  without  more  difficulty.  We 
land  at  the  first  practicable  point  below  and  fire  our  guns, 
as  a  signal  to  the  men  above  that  we  have  come  over  in 
safety.  Here  we  remain  a  couple  of  hours,  hoping  that 
they  will  take  the  smaller  boat  and  follow  us.  We  are 
behind  a  curve  in  the  canon,  and  cannot  see  up  to  where 
we  left  them,  and  so  we  wait  until  their  coming  seems 
hopeless,  and  push  on. 

And  now  we  have  a  succession  of  rapids  and  falls  until 


160  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

noon,  all  of  which  we  rim  in  safety.  Just  after  dinner  we 
come  to  another  bad  place.  A  little  stream  comes  in 
from  the  left,  and  below  there  is  a  fall,  and  still  below 
another  fall.  Above,  the  river  tumbles  down,  over  and 
among  the  rocks,  in  whirlpools  and  great  waves,  and  the 
waters  are  lashed  into  mad,  white  foam.  We  run  along 
the  left,  above  this,  and  soon  see  that  we  cannot  get  down 
on  this  side,  but  it  seems  possible  to  let  down  on  the 
other.  We  pull  up-stream  again,  for  two  or  three  hun- 
dred yards,  and  cross.  Now  there  is  a  bed  of  basalt  on 
this  northern  side  of  the  canon,  with  a  bold  escarpmenf, 
that  seems  to  be  a  hundred  feet  high.  We  can  climb  it, 
and  walk  along  its  summit  to  a  point  where  we  are 
just  at  the  head  of  the  fall.  Here  the  basalt  is  broken 
down  again,  so  it  seems  to  us,  and  I  direct  the  men  to 
take  a  line  to  the  top  of  the  cliff,  and  let  the  boats  down 
along  the  wall.  One  man  remains  in  the  boat,  to  keep 
her  clear  of  the  rocks,  and  prevent  her  line  from  being 
caught  on  the  projecting  angles.  I  climb  the  cliff,  and 
pass  along  to  a  point  just  over  the  fall,  and  descend  by 
broken  rocks,  and  find  that  the  break  of  the  fall  is  above 
the  break  of  the  wall,  so  that  we  cannot  land  ;  and  that 
still  below  the  river  is  very  bad,  and  that  there  is  no  pos- 
sibility of  a  portage.  Without  waiting  further  to  examine 
and  determine  what  shall  be  done,  I  hasten  back  to  the 
top  of  the   cliff,  to   stop  the  boats   from   coming  down. 


i 
i 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon    161 

When  I  arrive,  I  find  the  men  have  let  one  of  them  down 
to  the  head  of  the  fall.  She  is  in  swift  water,  and  they 
are  not  able  to  pull  her  back  ;  nor  are  they  able  to  go  on 
with  the  line,  as  it  is  not  long  enough  to  reach  the  higher 
part  of  the  cliff,  whicli  is  just  before  them ;  so  they  take  a 
bight  around  a  crag.  I  send  two  men  back  for  the  other 
line.  The  boat  is  in  very  swift  water,  and  Bradley  is 
standing  in  the  open  compartment,  holding  out  his  oar  to 
prevent  her  from  striking  against  the  foot  of  the  cliff'. 
Now  she  shoots  out  into  the  stream,  and  up  as  far  as  the 
line  will  permit,  and  then,  wheeling,  drives  headlong 
against  the  rock,  then  out  and  back  again,  now  straining 
on  the  line,  now  striking  against  the  rock.  As  soon  as 
the  second  line  is  brought,  we  pass  it  down  to  him  ;  but 
his  attention  is  all  taken  up  with  his  own  situation,  and 
he  does  not  see  that  we  are  passing  the  line  to  him.  I 
stand  on  a  projecting  rock,  waving  my  hat  to  gain  his 
attention,  for  my  voice  is  drowned  by  the  roaring  of  the 
falls.  Just  at  this  moment  I  see  him  take  his  knife  from. 
its  sheath,  and  step  forward  to  cut  the  line.  He  has  evi- 
dently decided  that  it  is  better  to  go  over  with  the  boat  as 
it  is,  than  to  wait  for  her  to  be  broken  to  pieces.  As  he 
leans  over,  the  boat  sheers  again  into  the  stream,  the 
stern-post  breaks  away,  and  she  is  loose.  With  perfect 
composure  Bradley  seizes  the  great  scull  oar,  places  it  in 
the  stern  rowlock,  and  pulls  with  all  his  power  (and  he  is 


162  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

an  athlete)  to  turn  the  bow  of  the  boat  down-stream,  for 
he  wishes  to  go  bow  down,  rather  than  to  drift  broadside 
on.  One,  two,  strokes  he  makes,  and  a  third  just  as  she 
goes  over,  and  the  boat  is  fairly  turned,  and  she  goes 
down  almost  beyond  our  sight,  though  we  are  more  than 
a  hundred  feet  above  the  river.  Then  she  comes  up 
again,  on  a  great  wave,  and  down  and  up,  then  around 
behind  some  great  rocks,  and  is  lost  in  the  mad,  white 
foam  below.  We  stand  frozen  with  fear,  for  we  see  no 
boat.  Bradley  is  gone,  so  it  seems.  But  now,  away  below, 
we  see  something  coming  out  of  the  waves.  It  is  evi- 
dently a  boat.  A  moment  more,  and  we  see  Bradley 
standins:  on  deck,  swinQ-ing;  his  hat  to  show  that  he  is 
all  right.  But  he  is  in  a  whirlpool.  We  have  the  stern- 
post  of  his  boat  attached  to  the  line.  How  badly  she 
may  be  disabled  we  know  not.  I  direct  Sumner  and 
Powell  to  pass  along  the  cliff,  and  see  if  they  can  reach 
him  from  below.  Rhodes,  Hall,  and  myself  run  to  the 
other  boat,  jump  aboard,  push  out,  and  away  we  go  over 
the  falls.  A  wave  rolls  over  us,  and  our  boat  is  unman- 
ageable. Another  great  wave  strikes  us,  the  boat  rolls 
over,  and  tumbles  and  tosses,  I  know  not  how.  All 
I  know  is  that  Bradley  is  picking  us  up.  We  soon 
have  all  right  again,  and  row  to  the  cliff,  and  wait 
until  Sumner  and  Powell  can  come.  After  a  difficult 
climb    they   reach    us.     We    run    two    or    three    miles 


Powell's  journey  through  the  grand  canon     163 

farther,  aucl  turn  again  to  the  northwest,  continuing 
until  night,  when  we  have  run  out  of  the  granite  once 
more. 

August  29.  We  start  very  early  this  morning.  The 
river  still  continues  swift,  but  we  have  no  serious  diffi- 
culty, and  at  twelve  o'clock  emerge  from  the  Grand 
Caiion  of  the  Colorado ! 

Something  like  this  are  the  feelings  we  experience 
to-nio^ht.  Ever  before  us  has  Ijeen  an  imknown  dano-er, 
heavier  than  immediate  peril.  Every  waking  horn- 
passed  in  the  Grand  Caiion  has  been  one  of  toil.  We 
have  watched  with  deep  solicitude  the  steady  disap- 
pearance of  our  scant  supply  of  rations,  and  from 
time  to  time  have  seen  the  river  snatch  a  portion  of 
the  little  left,  while  we  were  ahungered.  And  danger 
and  toil  were  endured  in  those  gloomy  depths,  where 
ofttimes  the  clouds  hid  the  sky  by  day,  and  but  a 
narrow  zone  of  stars  could  be  seen  at  nis-ht.  Onlv 
during  the  few  hours  of  deep  sleep,  consequent  on 
hard  labor,  has  the  roar  of  the  waters  been  hushed. 
Now  the  danger  is  over,  now  the  toil  has  ceased,  now 
the  gloom  has  disappeared,  now  the  firmament  is 
boimded  only  by  the  horizon ;  and  what  a  vast  expanse 
of  constellations  can  be  seen  ! 

The  river  rolls  by  us  in  silent  majesty ;  the  quiet 
of  the  camp  is  sweet;  our  joy  is  almost  ecstasy.     We 


164  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

sit  till  long  after  midnight,  talking  of  the  Grand  Canon, 
talking  of  home,  but  chiefly  talking  of  the  three  men 
who  left  ns.  Are  they  wandering  in  those  depths, 
unable  to  find  a  way  out  ?  Are  they  searching  over 
the  desert  lands  above  the  water  ?  Or  are  they  near- 
ing  the  settlements  ?  ^ 

Near  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  Virgin,  Powell's  party  came 
to  settlements  where  they  were  kindly  received  and  their 
wants  supplied.  From  here  they  travelled  overland  to 
Salt  Lake  and  thence  returned  by  railroad  to  Washington. 

^  Later  it  was  learned  that  they  made  their  way  out  of  the  caiion  in 
safety,  but  were  afterward  killed  by  the  Indians. 


CHAPTER   VI 

PARKMAN'S   LIFE   IN   A   VILLAGE   OF   SIOUX   INDIANS 

During  the  summer  of  1846  Francis  Parkman,  with 
two  or  three  companions,  passed  up  the  Missouri  River  in 
a  steamboat  from  St.  Louis  to  Kansas,  and  there  securing 
horses,  crossed  through  Kansas  and  Nebraska  to  Fort 
Laramie  in  Wyoming.  They  spent  the  summer  partly 
at  the  fort  and  partly  among  the  wandering  Indian 
tribes  which  roved  over  the  plains  and  foot-hills  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  The  following  description  of  his  life 
in  an  Ogallalla  village  is  taken  with  very  slight  changes 
from  Parkman's  "  California  and  Oregon  Trail."  This 
Ogallalla  village  belonged  to  the  great  tribe  of  the  Sioux, 
or  Dakota  Indians. 

Having  been  living  for  several  weeks  among  one  of  the 
wildest  of  the  wild  hordes  that  roam  over  the  remote 
prairies,  I  had  extraordinary  opportunities  of  observing 
these  Indians ;  and  I  flatter  myself  that  a  faithful  picture 
of  the  scenes  that  passed  daily  before  my  eyes  may  not 
be  devoid  of  interest  and  value.  These  men  were  thor- 
ough   savages.     Neither   their   manners    nor   their    ideas 

165 


166 


PIONEERS   OP   THE   WEST 


were  in  the  slightest  degree  modified  by  contact  with 
civilization.  They  knew  nothing  of  the  power  and  real 
character  of  the  white  men,  and  their  children  would 
scream  in  terror  at  the  sight  of  me.  Their  religion, 
their  superstitions,  and  their  prejudices  were  the  same 
that  had  been  handed  down  to  them  from  the  most 
ancient  times.     They  fought  with  the  same  weapons  that 


The  Oregon  Trail 


their  fathers  fought  with,  and  wore  the  same  rude  gar- 
ments of  skins. 

As  Raymond  and  I  discovered  the  village  from  the  gap 
in  the  hills  we  were  seen  in  our  turn ;  keen  eyes  were 
constantly  on  the  watch.  As  we  rode  down  upon  the 
plain  tlie  side  of  the  village  nearest  us  was  darkened 
with    a   crowd    of   naked    figures    gathering   around    the 


168  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

lodsjes.  Several  men  came  forward  to  meet  us.  I  could 
distinguish,  among  them  the  green  blanket  of  the  French- 
man, Reynal.  •  When  we  came  up  the  ceremony  of  shak- 
ing hands  had  to  be  gone  through  with  in  due  form,  and 
then  all  were  eager  to  know  what  had  become  of  the  rest 
of  my  party.  I  satisfied  them  on  this  point,  and  we  all 
moved  forward  together  toward  the  village. 

"You've  missed  it,"  said  Reynal;  "if  you'd  been  here 
day  before  yesterday,  you'd  have  found  the  whole  prairie 
over  yonder  black  with  buffalo  as  far  as  you  could  see. 
There  were  no  cows,  though ;  nothing  but  bulls.  We 
made  a  '  surround '  every  day  until  yesterday.  See  the 
village  there ;  don't  that  look  like  good  living  ? " 

In  fact  I  could  see,  even  at  that  distance,  that  long 
cords  were  stretched  from  lodge  to  lodge,  over  which  the 
meat,  cut  by  the  squaws  into  thin  sheets,  was  hanging 
in  the  sun  to  dry. 

"  What  chiefs  are  there  in  the  village  now  ? "  said  I. 

"  Well,"  said  Reynal,  "  there's  old  Red  Water,  and  the 
Eagle  Feather,  and  the  Big  Crow,  and  the  Mad  Wolf 
and  the  Panther,  and  the  White  Shield,  and  —  what's  his 
name  ?  —  the  half-breed  Cheyenne." 

Just  then  we  passed  between  two  of  the  lodges,  and 
entered  the  great  area  of  the  village.  Superb  naked 
figures  stood  silently  gazing  on  us. 

"  There's  the   Big  Crow's  lodge  yonder,   next    to    old 


PARKMAN's    life    in    a    village    of    SIOUX    INDIANS      169 

Red  Water's.  He's  a  good  Indian  for  the  whites,  and 
I  advise  you  to  go  and  live  with  him." 

"Are  there  many  squaws  and  children  in  his  lodge?" 
said  I. 

"  No ;  only  one  squaw  and  two  or  three  children. 
He  keeps  the  rest  in  a  separate  lodge   by  themselves." 

So,  still  followed  by  a  crowd  of  Indians,  Raymond 
and  I  rode  up  to  the  entrance  of  the  Big  Crow's  lodge. 
A  squaw  came  out  immediately  and  took  our  horses. 
I  put  aside  the  leather  flap  that  covered  the  low 
opening,  and  stooping,  entered  the  Big  Crow's  dwell- 
ino;.  There  I  could  see  the  bio;  chief  in  the  dim  lio-ht, 
seated  at  one  side  on  a  pile  of  buffalo  robes.  He 
greeted  me  with  a  guttural  "  How,  cola !  "  I  requested 
Reynal  to  tell  him  that  Raymond  and  I  were  come 
to  live  w^ith  him.  The  Big  Crow  gave  another  low 
exclamation.  If  the  reader  thinks  that  we  are  intrud- 
ing somewhat  cavalierly,  I  beg  him  to  observe  that 
every  Indian  in  the  village  would  have  deemed  himself 
honored  that  white  men  should  give  such  preference 
to  his  hospitality. 

The  squaw  spread  a  buffalo  robe  for  us  in  the  guest's 
place  at  the  head  of  the  lodge.  Our  saddles  were 
brought  in,  and  scarcely  were  we  seated  upon  them 
before  the  place  was  thronged  with  Indians,  who  came 
crowding   in   to    see    us.     The    Big    Crow    produced   his 


170  PIONEERS    OF    THE   WEST 

pipe  and  filled  it  with  the  mixture  of  tobacco  and 
shongsassha,  or  red  willow  bark.  Round  and  round  it 
passed,  and  a  lively  conversation  went  forward.  Mean- 
while a  squaw  placed  before  the  two  guests  a  wooden  bowl 
of  boiled  buffalo  meat,  but  unhappily  this  was  not  the 
only  banquet  destined  to  be  inflicted  on  us.  Rapidly, 
one  after  another,  boys  and  young  squaws  thrust  their 
heads  in  at  the  opening,  to  invite  us  to  various  feasts 
in  different  parts  of  the  village.  For  half  an  hour  or 
more  we  were  actively  engaged  in  passing  from  lodge 
to  lodge,  tasting  in  each  the  bowl  of  meat  set  before 
us,  and  inhaling  a  whiff'  or  two  from  our  entertainer's 
pipe.  A  thunderstorm  that  had  been  threatening  for 
some  time  now  began  in  good  earnest.  We  crossed 
over  to  Reynal's  lodge,  though  it  hardly  deserved  this 
name,  for  it  consisted  only  of  a  few  old  buffalo  robes 
supported  on  poles,  and  was  quite  open  on  one  side. 
Here  we  sat  down  and  the  Indians  gathered  round   us. 

"What  is  it,"  said  I,  "that  makes  the  thunder?" 

"  It's  my  belief,"  said  Reynal,  "  that  it  is  a  big  stone 
rolling  over  the  sky." 

"Very  likely,"  I  replied;  "but  I  want  to  know  what 
the  Indians  think  about  it." 

So  he  interpreted  to  the  Indians  my  question,  which 
seemed  to  produce  some  doubt  and  debate.  There  was 
evidently  a  difference  of  opinion.     At  last  old  Mene-Seela, 


PARKMAN's    life    in    a    village   op    SIOUX    INDIANS      171 

or  Red  Water,  who  sat  by  himself  at  one  side,  looked  up 
with  his  withered  face,  and  said  he  had  always  known 
what  the  thunder  was.  It  was  a  great  black  bird  ;  and 
once  he  had  seen  it,  in  a  dream,  swooping  down  from  the 
Black  Hills,  with  its  loud  roaring  wings ;  and  when  it 
flapped  them  over  a  lake,  they  struck  lightning  from  the 
water. 

"  The  thunder  is  bad,"  said  another  old  man,  who  sat 
muffled  in  his  buffalo  robe  ;  "  he  killed  my  brother  last 
summer." 

Re3rrial,  at  my  request,  asked  for  an  explanation ;  but 
the  old  man  remained  doggedly  silent,  and  would  not 
look  up.  Some  time  after  I  learned  how  the  accident 
occurred.  The  man  who  was  killed  belonged  to  an  asso- 
ciation which,  among  other  mystic  functions,  claimed  the 
exclusive  power  and  privilege  of  fighting  the  thunder. 
Whenever  a  storm  which  they  wished  to  avert  was 
threatening,  the  thunder-fighters  would  take  their  bows 
and  arrows,  their  guns,  their  magic  drum,  and  a  sort  of 
whistle  made  out  of  the  wing  bone  of  the  war  eagle. 
Thus  equipped,  they  would  run  out  and  fire  at  the  rising 
cloud,  whooping,  yelling,  whistling,  and  beating  their 
drum,  to  frighten  it  down  again.  One  afternoon  a  heavy 
black  cloud  was  coming  up,  and  they  repaired  to  the  top 
of  a  hill,  where  they  brought  all  their  magic  artillery 
into  play  against  it.     But  the  undaunted  thunder,  refus- 


172  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

iug  to  be  terrified,  kept  moving  straight  onward, 
and  darted  out  a  bright  flash  which  struck  one  of 
the  party  dead,  as  he  was  in  the  very  act  of  shaking 
his  long  iron-pointed  lance  against  it.  The  rest  scattered 
and  ran,  yelling  in  an  ecstasy  of  terror,  back  to  their 
lodojes. 

The  lodge  of  my  host  Kongra  Tonga,  or  Big  Crow,  pre- 
sented, a  picturesque  spectacle  that  evening.  A  score  or 
more  of  Indians  were  seated,  around,  in  a  circle,  their  dark, 
naked,  forms  just  visible  by  the  dull  light  of  the  smoulder- 
ing fire  in  the  centre,  the  pipe  glowing  brightly  in  the 
gloom  as  it  passed  from  hand  to  hand  round  the  lodge. 
Then  a  squaw  would  drop  a  j^iece  of  buffalo-fat  on  the 
dull  embers.  Instantly  a  bright  glancing  flame  would 
leap  up,  darting  its  clear  light  to  the  very  apex  of  the  tall 
conical  structure,  where  the  tops  of  the  slender  poles  that 
supported  its  covering  of  leather  were  gathered  together. 
It  gilded  the  features  of  the  Indians,  as  with  animated 
gestures  they  sat  round  it,  telling  their  endless  stories  of 
war  and  hunting.  It  displayed  rude  garments  of  skins 
that  hung  around  the  lodge ;  the  bow,  quiver,  and  lance 
suspended  over  the  resting-place  of  the  chief,  and  the 
rifles  and  powder-horns  of  the  two  white  guests.  For 
a  moment  all  would  be  as  bright  as  day ;  then  the  flames 
would  die  away,  and  fitful  flashes  from  the  embers  would 
illumine  the  lodge,  and  then  leave  it  in  darkness.     Then 


PARKMAN's   life    IX    A    VILLAGE    OF    SIOUX   INDIANS      173 

all  the  light  would  wholly  fade,  and  the  lodge  and  all 
within  it  would  again  be  hidden  in  darkness. 

As  I  left  the  lodge  next  morning,  I  was  saluted  by 
howling  and  yelping  from  all  sides  of  the  village,  and 
half  its  canine  population  rushed  forth  to  the  attack. 
Being  as  cowardly  as  they  were  nois}^,  they  kept  jumping 
around  me  at  the  distance  of  a  few  yards,  only  one  little 
cur,  about  ten  inches  long,  having  spirit  enough  to  make 
a  direct  assault.  He  dashed  bravely  at  the  leather  tassel 
which  in  the  Dakota  fashion  w^as  trailing  behind  the  heel 
of  my  moccasin,  and  kept  his  hold,  growling  and  snarling 
all  the  while,  though  every  step  I  made  almost  jerked 
him  over  on  his  back.  As  I  knew  that  the  e3^es  of  the 
whole  village  w^ere  on  the  watch  to  see  if  I  showed  any 
signs  of  fear,  I  walked  forward  without  looking  to  the 
right  or  left,  surrounded  wherever  I  went  by  this  magic 
circle  of  dogs.  When  I  came  to  Reynal's  lodge  I  sat 
down  by  it,  on  which  the  dogs  dispersed  growling  to 
their  respective  quarters.  Only  one  large  white  one 
remained,  who  kept  running  about  before  me  and  show- 
ing his  teeth.  I  called  him,  but  he  only  growled  the 
more.  I  looked  at  him  well.  He  was  fat'  and  sleek, 
just  such  a  dog  as  I  wanted.  "  My  friend,"  thought  I, 
"  you  shall  pay  for  this !  I  shall  have  you  eaten  this 
very  morning !  " 

I  intended  that  day  to  give  the  Indians  a  feast,  l)y  way 


174  PIONEERS    OP   THE    WEST 

of  giving  a  favorable  impression  of  my  character  and  dig- 
nity ;  and  a  white  dog  is  the  dish  which  the  customs  of 
the  Dakotas  prescribe  for  all  occasions  of  formality  and 
importance.  I  consulted  Reynal  ;  he  soon  discovered 
that  an  old  woman  in  the  next  lodge  was  owner  of  the 
white  dog.  I  took  a  gaudy  cotton  handkerchief,  and 
laying  it  on  the  ground,  arranged  some  vermilion,  beads, 
and  other  trinkets  upon  it.  Then  the  old  squaw  was 
summoned.  I  pointed  to  the  dog  and  to  the  handker- 
chief. She  gave  a  scream  of  delight,  snatched  up  the 
prize,  and  vanished  with  it  into  her  lodge.  For  a  few 
more  trifles  I  engaged  the  services  of  two  other  squaws, 
who  having  killed  the  white  dog,  threw  him  into  a  fire  to 
singe ;  they  chopped  him  up  and  put  him  into  two  large 
kettles  to  boil.  Meanwhile  I  told  Raymond  to  fry  in 
buft'alo-fat  what  little  flour  we  had  left,  and  also  to  make 
a  kettle  of  tea  as  an  additional  item  of  the  repast. 

The  Big  Crow's  squaw  was  briskly  at  work  sweeping 
out  the  lodge  for  the  approaching  festivity.  I  confided  to 
my  host  himself  the  task  of  inviting  the  guests. 

When  feasting  is  in  question,  one  hour  of  the  day 
serves  an  Indian  as  well  as  another.  My  entertainment 
came  off  about  eleven  o'clock.  At  that  hour,  Reynal  and 
Raymond  walked  across  the  area  of  the  village  to  the 
admiration  of  the  inhabitants,  carrying  the  two  kettles 
of  dog-meat  slitng  on  a  pole  between  them.     These  they 


I'ARKMAN'S    life    in    a    village   of    SIOUX   INDIANS      175 

placed  iu  the  centre  of  the  lodge,  and  then  went  back 
for  the  bread  and  the  tea.  Meanwhile  I  had  put  on  a 
pair  of  brilliant  moccasins,  and  substituted  for  my  old 
buckskin  frock  a  coat  which  I  had  brought  with  me  in 
view  of  such  public  occasions.  I  also  made  careful  use 
of  the  razor,  an  operation  which  no  man  will  neglect 
who  desires  to  gain  the  good  opinion  of  Indians.  Thus 
attired,  I  seated  myself  between  Reynal  and  Raymond 
at  the  head  of  the  lodge.  .Only  a  few  minutes  elapsed 
before  all  the  guests  had  come  in  and  were  seated  on 
the  ground,  wedged  together  in  a  close  circle  around 
the  lodge.  Each  brought  with  him  a  wooden  bowl  to 
hold  his  share  of  the  repast.  When  all  were  assembled, 
two  of  the  Indians  came  forward  with  ladles  made  of 
horn  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  sheep,  and  began  to  dis- 
tribute the  feast,  always  giving  a  double  share  to  the 
old  men  and  the  chiefs.  The  dog  vanished  with 
astonishing  celerity,  and  each  guest  turned  his  dish 
bottom  upward  to  show  that  all  was  gone.  Then  the 
bread  was  distributed  in  its  turn,  and  finally  the  tea. 
As  the  Indians  poured  it  out  into  the  same  wooden 
bowls  that  had  served  for  the  substantial  part  of  the 
meal,  I  thought  it  had  a  particularly  curious  and 
uninviting  color. 

"Oh!"  said  Reynal,  "there  was  not  tea  enough,  so  I 
stirred  some  soot  in  the  kettle,  to  make  it  look  strong." 


176  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

Fortunately  an  Indian's  palate  is  not  very  discrimi- 
nating. The  tea  was  well  sweetened,  and  that  was  all 
they  cared  for. 

Now  the  former  part  of  the  entertainment  being  con- 
cluded, the  time  for  speech-making  was  come.  The 
Big  Crow  produced  a  flat  piece  of  wood  on  which  he 
cut  up  the  tobacco  and  shongsassha,  and  mixed  them 
ill  due  proportions.  The  pipes  were  filled  and  passed 
from  hand  to  hand  around  the  company.  Then  I 
began  my  speech,  each  sentence  interpreted  by  Reynal 
as  I  went  on,  and  echoed  by  the  whole  audience  with 
the  usual  exclamations  of  assent  and  approval.  As 
nearly  as  I  can  recollect,  it  was  as  follows :  — 

I  had  come,  I  told  them,  from  a  country  so  far  dis- 
tant, that  at  the  rate  they  travel,  they  could  not  reach 
it  in  a  year. 

"  How  !  how  !  " 

"  There  the  Meneaska  (white  men)  were  more  nu- 
merous than  the  blades  of  grass  on  the  prairie.  The 
squaws  were  far  more  beautiful  than  any  they  had 
ever  seen,  and  all  the  men  were  brave  warriors." 

"How  !  how  !  how  !  " 

Here  I  was  assailed  by  sharp  twinges  of  conscience, 
for  I  fancied  I  could  perceive  a  fragrance  of  perfumery 
in  the  air,  and  a  vision  rose  before  me  of  white  kid 
gloves   and   silken  mustaches  with  the  mild    and    gentle 


178  PIONEEIIS    OF   THE    WEST 

countenances  of  numerous  fair-haired  young  men.  But 
I  recovered  myself  and  began  again. 

'•  While  I  was  living  in  the  ,Meneaska  lodges,  I  had 
heard  of  the  Ogallalla,  how  great  and  brave  a  nation 
they  were,  how  they  loved  the  whites,  and  how  well 
they  could  hunt  the  buffalo  and  strike  their  enemies. 
I  resolved  to  come  and  see  if  all  that  I  heard  was  true." 

"  How  !  how  !  how  !  how  !  " 

"As  I  had  come  on  horseback  through  the  moun- 
tains, I  had  been  able  to  bring  them  only  a  very  few 
presents." 

"  How ! " 

"  But  I  had  brought  enough  tobacco  to  give  them 
all  a  small  piece.  They  might  smoke  it,  and  see  how 
much  better  it  was  than  the  tobacco  which  they  got 
from  the  traders." 

"How!  how!   how!" 

"  I  had  plenty  of  powder,  lead,  knives,  and  tobacco  at 
Fort  Laramie.  These  I  was  anxious  to  give  to  them,  and 
if  any  of  them  should  come  to  the  fort  before  I  went 
away,  I  would  make  them  handsome  presents." 

"  How  !  how  !  how  !  how  !  " 

Raymond  then  cut  up  and  distributed  among  them  two 
or  three  pounds  of  tobacco,  and  old  Mene-Seela  began  to 
make  reply.  It  was  quite  long,  but  the  following  was  the 
pith  of  it :  — 


1 


PARKMAN's    life    IX    A   VILLAGE   OF   SIOUX   INDIANS      179 

"  He  had  always  loved  the  whites.  They  were  the 
wisest  people  on  earth.  He  believed  they  could  do  every- 
thing, and  he  was  always  glad  when  any  of  them  came  to 
live  in  the  Ogallalla  lodges.  It  was  true  I  had  not  made 
them  many  presents,  but  the  reason  of  it  w^as  plain.  It 
was  clear  that  I  liked  them,  or  I  never  should  have  come 
so  far  to  find  their  village." 

Several  other  speeches  of  similar  import  followed,  and 
then,  this  more  serious  matter  being  disposed  of,  there 
was  an  interval  of  smoking,  laughing,  and  conversation ; 
but  old  Mene-Seela  suddenly  interrupted  it  with  a  loud 
voice. 

^'  Now  is  a  good  time,"  he  said,  "  when  all  the  old  men 
and  chiefs  are  here  together,  to  decide  what  the  people 
shall  do.  We  came  over  the  mountain  to  make  our 
lodges  for  next  year.  Our  old  ones  are  good  for  nothing ; 
they  are  rotten  and  -worn  out.  But  we  have  been 
disappointed.  We  have  killed  buffalo  bulls  enough,  but 
we  have  found  no  herds  of  cows,  and  the  skins  of  the  bulls 
are  too  thick  and  heavy  for  our  squaws  to  make  lodges  of. 
There  must  be  plenty  of  cow\s  about  the  Medicine-Bow 
Mountain.  We  ought  to  go  there.  To  be  sure,  it  is  far- 
ther westward  than  we  have  ever  been  before,  and  perhaps 
the  Snakes  will  attack  us,  for  these  hunting-grounds  belong 
to  them.  But  we  must  have  new^  lodges  at  any  rate ;  our 
old  ones  will  not  serve  us  another  year.     We  ought  not 


180  PIONEERS    OP   THE    WEST 

to  be  afraid  of  the  Snakes.  Our  warriors  are  brave,  and 
they  are  all  ready  for  war.  Besides,  we  have  three  white 
men  with  their  rifles  to  help  us." 

I  could  not  help  thinking  that  the  old  man  relied 
a  little  too  much  on  the  aid  of  allies,  one  of  whom 
was  a  coward,  another  a  blockhead,  and  the  third  an 
invalid.  This  speech  produced  a  good  deal  of  debate. 
As  Reynal  did  not  interpret  what  was  said,  I  could 
only  judge  of  the  meaning  by  the  features  and  gestures 
of  the  speakers.  At  the  end  of  it,  however,  the  greater 
number  seemed  to  have  fallen  in  with  Mene-Seela's 
opinion.  A  short  silence  followed,  and  then  the  old 
man  struck  up  a  discordant  chant,  which  I  was  told 
was  a  song  of  thanks  for  the  entertainment  I  had 
given  them. 

"  Now,"  said  he,  "  let  us  go  and  give  the  white  men 
a  chance  to  breathe." 

So  the  company  all  dispersed  into  the  open  air,  and  for 
some  time  the  old  chief  was  walking  round  the  village, 
singing  his  song  in  praise  of  the  feast,  after  the  usual 
custom  of  the  nation. 

At  last  the  day  drew  to  a  close,  and  as  the  sun  went 
down  the  horses  came  trooping  from  the  surrounding 
plains  to  be  picketed  before  the  dwellings  of  their  respec- 
tive masters.  Soon  within  the  great  circle  of  lodges 
appeared  another   smaller  circle   of   restless  horses ;  and 


I 


PARKMAN'S    life    in    a    village    of   SIOUX   INDIANS      181 

here  and  there  fires  were  glowing  and  flickering  amid 
the  gloom  on  the  dusky  figures  around  them.  I  went 
over  and  sat  by  the  lodge  of  Reynal.  The  Eagle  Feather, 
who  was  a  son  of  Mene-Seela,  and  brother  of  my  host, 
the  Big  Crow,  was  seated  there  already,  and  I  asked  him 
if  the  village  would  move  in  the  morning.  He  shook  his 
head  and  said  that  nobody  could  tell,  for  since  old  Mahto- 
Tatonka  had  died,  the  people  had  been  like  children  that 
did  not  know  their  own  minds.  They  were  no  better 
than  a  body  without  a  head.  So  I,  as  well  as  the  Indians 
themselves,  fell  asleep  that  night  without  knowing 
whether  we  should  set  out  in  the  morning  toward  the 
country  of  the  Snakes. 

At  daybreak,  however,  as  I  was  coming  up  from  the 
river  after  my  morning's  bath,  I  saw  that  a  movement 
was  contemplated.  Some  of  the  lodges  were  reduced  to 
nothing  but  bare  skeletons  of  poles ;  the  leather  covering 
of  others  was  flapping  in  the  wind  as  the  squaws  were 
pulling  it  off.  One  or  two  chiefs  of  note  had  resolved, 
it  seemed,  on  moving ;  and  so,  having  set  their  squaws  at 
work,  the  example  was  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  village. 
One  by  one  the  lodges  were  sinking  down  in  rapid  suc- 
cession, and  where  the  great  circle  of  the  village  had  been 
only  a  moment  before,  nothing  now  remained  but  a  ring 
of  horses  and  Indians,  crowded  in  confusion  together. 
The   ruins  of  the  lodges  were  spread   over  the  ground, 


182  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

together  with  kettles,  stone  mallets,  great  ladles  of 
horn,  buffalo  robes,  and  cases  of  painted  hide  filled 
with  dried  meat.  Squaws  bustled  about  in  their  busy 
preparations,  the  old  hags  screaming  to  one  another 
at  the  stretch  of  their  leather  lungs.  The  shaggy  horses 
were  patiently  standing  while  the  lodge-poles  were  lashed 
to  their  sides,  and  tlie  baggage  piled  upon  their  backs. 
The  dogs,  with  their  tongues  lolling  out,  lay  lazily 
panting,  and  waiting  for  the  time  of  departure.  Each 
warrior  sat  on  the  ground  by  the  decaying  embers  of 
his  fire,  unmoved  amid  all  the  confusion,  while  he  held 
in  his  hand  the  long  trail-rope  of  his  horse. 

As  their  preparations  were  completed,  each  family 
moved  off  the  ground.  The  crowd  was  rapidly  melt- 
ing away.  I  could  see  them  crossing  the  river,  and 
passing  in  quick  succession  along  the  profile  of  the 
hill  on  the  farther  bank.  When  all  were  gone  I 
mounted  and  set  out  after  them,  followed  by  Raymond, 
and  as  we  gained  the  summit  the  whole  village  came 
in  view  at  once,  straggling  away  for  a  mile  or  more 
over  the  barren  plains  before  us.  Everywhere  the  iron 
points  of  lances  were  glittering.  The  sun  never  shone 
upon  a  more  strange  array.  Here  were  the  heavy-laden 
pack-horses,  some  wretched  old  women  leading  them, 
and  two  or  three  children  clinging  to  their  backs. 
Here   were   mules  or  ponies    covered  from  head  to  tail 


PARKMAN's   life   in    a   village    of    SIOUX    INDIANS      183 

with  gaudy  trappings,  and  mounted  by  some  gay  young 
squaw,  grinning  bashfulness  and  pleasure  as  the  Meneaska 
looked  at  her.  Boys  with  miniature  bows  and  arrows 
were  wandering  over  the  plains,  little  naked  children 
were  running  along  on  foot,  and  numberless  dogs  were 
scampering  among  the  feet  of  the  horses.  The  young 
braves,  gaudy  in  paint  and  feathers,  were  riding  in 
groups  among  the  crowd,  and  often  galloping,  two  or 
three  along  the  line,  to  try  the  speed  of  their  horses. 
Here  and  there  you  might  see  a  rank  of  sturdy  j^edes- 
trians  stalking  along  in  their  white  buffalo  robes.  These 
were  the  dignitaries  of  the  village,  the  old  men  and 
warriors,  to  whose  age  and  experience  that  wandering 
democracy  yielded  a  silent  deference.  With  the  rough 
prairie  and  the  broken  hills  for  its  background,  the 
restless  scene  was  striking  and  picturesque  beyond 
description. 

As  we  moved  on  the  broken  colunm  grew  yet  more 
scattered  and  disorderly,  until,  as  we  approached  the 
foot  of  a  hill,  I  saw  the  old  men  before  mentioned 
seating  themselves  in  a  line  upon  the  ground,  in  advance 
of  the  whole.  They  lighted  a  pipe  and  sat  smoking, 
laughing,  and  telling  stories,  while  the  people,  stopping 
as  they  came  up,  were  soon  gathered  in  a  crowd  behind 
them.  Then  the  old  men  rose,  drew  their  buffalo 
robes   over    their    shoulders,   and   strode   on    as    before. 


184:  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

Gaining  the  top  of  tlie  hill,  we  found  a  very  steep 
declivity  before  ns.  There  was  not  a  minute's  pause. 
The  whole  descended  in  a  mass,  amid  dust  and  con- 
fusion. The  horses  braced  their  feet  as  they  slid  down, 
women  and  children  were  screaming,  dogs  yelping  as 
they  were  trodden  upon,  while  stones  and  earth  went 
rollino;  to  the  bottom.  In  a  few  moments  I  could  see 
the  village  from  the  summit,  spreading  again  far  and 
wide  over  the  plain  below. 

Our  encampment  tliat  afternoon  was  not  far  distant 
from  a  spur  of  the  Black  Hills,  whose  ridges,  bristling 
with  fir  trees,  rose  from  the  plains  a  mile  or  two  to 
our  right.  That  they  might  move  more  rapidly  toward 
their  proposed  hunting-grounds,  the  Indians  determined 
to  leave  at  this  place  their  stock  of  dried  meat  and 
other  superfluous  articles.  Some  left  even  their  lodges, 
and  contented  themselves  with  carrying  a  few  hides 
to  make  a  shelter  from  sun  and  rain.  Half  of  the 
inhabitants  set  out  in  the  afternoon,  with  loaded  pack- 
horses,  toward  the  mountains.  Here  they  suspended 
the  dried  meat  upon  the  trees,  where  the  wolves  and 
grizzly  bears  could  not  get  at  it.  All  returned  at 
evening. 

As  we  moved  over  the  plains  on  the  next  morning 
several  young  men  were  riding  about  the  country  as 
scouts;  and  at  last  we   began   to    see   them  occasionally 


PARKMAN'S    life    in    a    village   of    SIOUX    INDIANS       185 

on  the  tops  of  the  hills,  shaking  their  robes  as  a  signal 
that  they  saw  buffalo.  Soon  after  some  bulls  came  in 
sight.  Horsemen  darted  away  in  pursuit,  and  we  could 
see  from  the  distance  that  one  or  two  of  the  buffalo 
were  killed.  Raymond  suddenly  exclaimed :  "  Look ! 
look !      The  Panther  is  running  an  antelope." 

The  Panther,  on  his  black-and-white  horse,  one  of 
the  best  in  the  village,  came  at  full  speed  over  the 
hill  in  hot  pursuit  of  an  antelope  that  darted  away 
like  lightning  before  him.  The  attempt  was  made  in 
mere  sport  and  bravado,  for  very  few  are  the  horses 
that  can  for  a  moment  compete  in  swiftness  with  this 
little  animal.  The  antelope  ran  down  the  hill  toward 
the  main  body  of  the  Indians,  who  were  moving  over 
the  plain  below.  Sharp  yells  were  given,  and  horsemen 
galloped  out  to  intercept  his  flight.  At  this  he  turned 
sharply  to  the  left  and  scoured  away  with  so  incred- 
ible speed  that  he  distanced  all  his  pursuers  and  even 
the  vaunted  horse  of  the  Panther  himself.  A  few  min- 
utes after  we  witnessed  a  more  serious  sport.  A  shaggy 
buffalo  bull  bounded  out  from  a  neighboring  hollow, 
and  close  behind  him  came  a  slender  Indian  boy,  riding 
without  stirrups  or  saddle,  and  lashing  his  eager  little 
horse  to  full  speed.  Yard  after  yard  he  drew  closer  to 
his  gigantic  victim,  though  the  bull,  with  his  short  tail 
erect  and  his  tongue  lolling  out  a  foot  from  his  foaming 


186  PIONEEKS    OF    THE    WEST 

jaws,  was  straining  his  unwieldy  strength  to  the  ut- 
most. A  moment  more  and  the  boy  was  close  along- 
side of  him.  It  was  our  friend  the  Hail-Storm.  He 
dropped  the  rein  on  his  horse's  neck  and  jerked  an 
arrow  like  lightning  from  the  quiver  at  his  shoulder. 

"  I  tell  you,"  said  Reynal,  "  that  in  a  year's  time  that 
bo}^  will  match  the  best  hunter  in  the  village.  There, 
he  has  given  it  to  him  !  and  there  goes  another !  You 
feel  well,  now,  old  bull,  don't  you,  with  two  arrows 
stuck  in  your  lights  ?  There,  he  has  given  him  another  ! 
Hear  how  the  Hail-Storm  yells  when  he  shoots  !  Yes, 
jump  at  him ;  try  it  again,  old  fellow !  You  may 
jump  all  day  before  you  get  your  horns  into  that 
pony  ! " 

The  bull  sprang  again  and  again  at  his  assailant, 
but  the  horse  kept  dodging  with  wonderful  celerity. 
At  length  the  bull  followed  up  his  attack  with  a  furi- 
ous rush,  and  the  Hail-Storm  was  put  to  flight,  the 
shaggy  monster  following  close  behind.  The  boy  clung 
to  his  seat  like  a  leech,  and  secure  in  the  speed  of  his 
little  pony,  looked  round  toward  us  and  laughed.  In 
a  moment  he  was  again  alongside  of  the  bull,  who  was 
now  driven  to  complete  desperation.  His  eyeballs 
glared  through  his  tangled  mane  and  the  blood  flew 
from  his  mouth  and  nostrils.  Thus,  still  battling  with 
each  other,  the  two  enemies  disappeared  over  the  hill. 


PARKMAN'S    life   in    a   village   of    SIOUX   INDIANS      187 

Many  of  the  Indians  rode  at  full  gallop  toward  the 
spot.  ^Ye  followed  at  a  moderate  pace,  and  soon  saw 
the  bull  lying  dead  on  the  side  of  the  hill.  The 
Indians  were  gathered  around  him  and  several  knives 
were  already  at  work.  These  little  instruments  were 
plied  with  such  wonderful  address  that  the  twisted 
sinews  were  cut  apart,  the  ponderous  bones  fell  asunder 
as  if  by  magic,  and  in  a  moment  the  vast  carcass  was 
reduced  to  a  heap  of  bloody  ruins.  The  surrounding 
groups  of  savages  offered  no  very  attractive  spectacle 
to  a  civilized  eye.  Some  were  cracking  the  huge 
thigh-bones  and  devouring  the  marrow  within;  others 
were  cutting  away  pieces  of  the  liver  and  other  ap- 
proved morsels,  and  swallowing  them  on  the  spot  with 
the  appetite  of  wolves.  The  faces  of  most  of  them, 
besmeared  with  blood  from  ear  to  ear,  looked  grim 
and  horrible  enough.  My  friend  the  White  Shield 
proffered  me  a  marrow-bone,  so  skilfully  laid  open  that 
all  the  rich  substance  within  was  exposed  to  view  at 
once.  Another  Indian  held  out  a  large  piece  of  the 
delicate  lining  of  the  paunch  ;  but  these  courteous  offer- 
ings I  begged  leave  to  decline.  I  noticed  one  little 
boy  who  was  very  busy  with  his  knife  about  the  jaws 
and  throat  of  the  buffalo,  from  which  he  extracted 
some  morsel  of  peculiar  delicacy.  It  is  but  fair  to  say 
that   only   certain   parts   of    the    animal    are    considered 


188  '  PIONEERS    OF    THE   WEST 

eligible  in  these  banquets.  The  Indians  would  look 
with  horror  on  any  one  who  should  partake  indiscrimi- 
nately of  the  newly  killed  carcass. 

We  encamped  that  night,  and  marched  westward 
through  the  greater  part  of  the  following  day.  On 
the  next  morning  we  again  resumed  our  journey.  At 
noon  we  stopped  by  some  pools  of  rain-water  and  in 
the  afternoon  aQjain  set  forward.  This  double  move- 
ment  was  contrary  to  the  usual  practice  of  the  Indians, 
but  all  were  very  anxious  to  reach  the  hunting-ground, 
kill  the  necessary  number  of  buffalo,  and  retreat  as 
soon  as  possible  from  the  dangerous  neighborhood. 
Late  in  the  afternoon  we  came  upon  the  banks  of  a 
little  sandy  stream,  of  which  the  Indians  could  not 
tell  the  name ;  for  they  were  very  ill  acquainted  with 
that  part  of  the  country.  So  parched  and  arid  were 
the  prairies  around  that  they  could  not  supply  grass 
enough  for  the  horses  to  feed  upon,  and  we  were  com- 
pelled to  move  farther  and  farther  up  the  stream  in 
search  of  ground  for  encampment.  The  country  was 
much  wilder  than  before.  The  plains  w^ere  gashed  wdth 
ravines  and  broken  into  hollows  and  steep  declivities, 
which  flanked  our  course,  as,  in  long,  scattered  array, 
the  Indians  advanced  up  the  side  of  the  stream. 

Mene-Seela  consulted  an  extraordinary  oracle  to  instruct 
him  where  the  buffalo  were  to  be  found.     When  he  with 


PARKMAN's   life    in    a   village   of   SIOUX   INDIANS      189 

the  other  chiefs  sat  down  on  the  grass  to  smoke  and 
to  converse,  as  they  often  did  during  the  march,  the 
old  man  picked  np  one  of  those  enormous  black-and- 
green  crickets,  which  the  Dakota  call  by  a  name  that 
means,  "  They  who  point  out  the  buffalo."  The  Root- 
Diggers,  a  wretched  tribe  beyond  the  mountains,  turn 
them  to  good  account  by  making  them  into  a  sort  of 
soup,  23ronounced  by  certain  unscrupulous  traders  to  be 
extremely  rich.  Holding  the  bloated  insect  respectfully 
between  his  fingers  and  thumb,  the  old  Indian  looked 
attentively  at  him  and  inquired,  "  Tell  me,  my  father, 
where  must  w^e  go  to-morrow  to  find  the  buffalo  ? " 
The  cricket  twisted  about  his  long  horns  in  evident 
embarrassment.  At  last  he  pointed,  or  seemed  to  point 
them,  westward.  Mene-Seela,  dropping  him  gently  on 
the  grass,  laughed  with  great  glee,  and  said  that  if 
we  went  that  way  in  the  morning,  we  should  be  sure 
to  kill  plenty  of  game. 

Toward  evening  we  came  upon  a  fresh  green  meadow, 
traversed  by  the  stream  and  deep-set  among  tall  sterile 
bluffs.  The  Indians  descended  its  steep  bank  ;  and  as  I 
was  at  the  rear,  I  w^as  one  of  the  last  to  reach  this  point. 
Lances  were  glittering,  feathers  fluttering,  and  the  water 
below  me  was  crowded  with  men  and  horses  passing 
through,  while  the  meadow  beyond  was  swarming  with 
the  restless  crowd  of  Indians.     The  sun  was  setting  and 


190  PIONEERS   OF   THE   WEST 

poured  its  softened  light  upon  them  through  an  opening 
in  the  hill. 

The  shadows  had  reached  to  the  very  summit  of  the 
bluffs  before  the  lodges  were  erected  and  the  village  was 
reduced  again  to  quiet  and  order.  A  cry  was  suddenly 
raised  and  men,  women,  and  children  came  running  out 
with  animated  faces,  and  looked  eagerly  through  the  open- 
ing in  the  hills  by  which  the  stream  entered  from  the 
westward.  I  could  discern  afar  off  some  dark,  heavy 
masses  passing  over  the  sides  of  a  low  hill.  They  dis- 
appeared and  then  others  followed.  These  were  bands  of 
buffalo  cows.  The  hunting-ground  was  reached  at  last 
and  everything  promised  well  for  the  morrow's  sport. 

Long  before  daybreak  the  Indians  broke  up  their  camp. 
This  movement  was  made  merely  for  the  purpose  of  find- 
ing a  better  and  safer  position.  So  we  advanced  only 
three  or  four  miles  up  the  little  stream  before  each  family 
assumed  its  relative  place  in  the  great  ring  of  the  village, 
and  all  around  the  squaws  were  actively  at  work  in  pre- 
paring the  camp.  But  not  a  single  warrior  dismounted 
from  his  horse.  All  the  men  that  morning  were  mounted 
on  inferior  animals,  leading  their  best  horses  by  a  cord,  or 
confiding  them  to  the  care  of  boys.  In  small  parties  they 
began  to  leave  the  ground  and  ride  rapidly  away  over  the 
plains  to  the  westward.  I  had  taken  no  food  that  morn- 
ing, and  went  into   my  host's    lodge,  which  his   squaws 


PARKMAX'S    LIFE    IX    A    VILLAGE   OF    SIOUX   INDIANS      191 

had  erected  with,  wonderful  celerity,  and  sat  down  in  the 
centre,  as  a  gentle  hint  that  I  was  hungry.  A  wooden 
bowl  was  soon  set  before  me,  filled  with  the  nutritious 
preparation  of  dried  meat  called  j9emmie«M  by  tlie  north- 
ern voyagers  and  icasna  by  the  Dakota.  Taking  a  hand- 
ful to  break  my  fast  upon,  I  left  the  lodge  just  in  time  to 
see  the  last  band  of  hunters  disappear  over  the  ridge  of 
the  neighboring  hill.  I  mounted  Pauline  and  galloped  in 
pursuit. 

From  the  top  of  the  hill  I  could  overlook  a  wide  extent 
of  desolate  and  unbroken  prairie,  over  which,  far  and  near, 
little  parties  of  naked  horsemen  were  rapidly  passing.  I 
soon  came  up  to  the  nearest,  and  we  had  not  ridden  a  mile 
before  all  were  united  into  one  large  and  compact  body. 
All  was  haste  and  eagerness.  Each  hunter  was  whipping 
on  his  horse,  as  if  anxious  to  be  the  first  to  reach  the 
game.  No  man  turned  to  the  right  or  to  the  left.  We 
rode  at  a  swift  canter  straight  forward,  uphill  and  down- 
hill, and  through  the  stiff,  obstinate  growth  of  the  endless 
wild-sage  bushes.  For  an  hour  and  a  half  the  same  red 
shoulders,  the  same  long  black  hair  rose  and  fell  with  the 
motion  of  the  horses  before  me. 

Meanwhile  scouts  kept  in  advance  of  the  party;  and 
now  we  began  to  see  them  on  the  ridge  of  the  hills, 
waving  their  robes  in  token  that  buffalo  were  visible. 
These,    however,    proved    to    be    nothing    more  than  old 


192  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

straggling  bulls,  feeding  upon  the  neighboring  plains,  who 
would  stare  for  a  moment  at  the  hostile  array  and  then 
gallop  clumsily  off.  At  length  we  could  see  several  of 
these  scouts  making  their  signals  to  us  at  once ;  no  longer 
waving  their  robes  boldly  from  the  top  of  the  hill,  but 
standing  lower  down,  so  that  they  could  not  be  seen  from 
the  plains  beyond.  Game  worth  pursuing  had  evidently 
been  discovered.  The  excited  Indians  now  urged  forward 
their  horses  even  more  rapidly  than  before.  I  could  not 
overtake  them  until  they  stopped  on  the  side  of  a  hill 
where  the  scouts  were  standing.  Here,  each  hunter 
sprang  in  haste  from  the  tired  animal  which  he  had 
ridden,  and  leaped  upon  the  fresh  horse  that  he  had 
brought  with  him. 

There  was  not  a  saddle  or  a  bridle  in  the  whole  party. 
A  piece  of  buffalo  robe  girthed  over  the  horse's  back 
served  in  the  place  of  one,  and  a  cord  of  twisted  hair 
lashed  firmly  round  his  lower  jaw  answered  for  the  other. 
Eagle  feathers  were  dangling  from  every  mane  and  tail, 
as  a  sign  of  courage  and  speed.  As  for  the  rider,  he  wore 
no  other  clothing  than  a  slight  cincture  at  his  waist  and  a 
pair  of  moccasins.  He  had  a  heavy  whip,  with  a  handle 
of  bull  hide,  fastened  to  his  wrist  by  an  ornamental  band. 
His  bow  was  in  his  hand  and  his  quiver  of  otter  or 
panther  skin  hung  at  his  shoulder.  Thus  equipped,  some 
thirty  of  the  hunters  galloped  away  toward  the  left  in 


PAKKMAN's    life    IX    A    VILLAGE    OF    SIOUX    INDIANS      193 

order  to  make  a  circuit  under  cover  of  the  hills,  that  the 
buffalo  mio'ht  be  assailed  on  both  sides  at  once.  The 
rest  impatiently  waited  until  time  enough  had  elapsed 
for  theh'  companions  to  reach  the  required  position. 
Then,  riding  upward  in  a  body,  we  gained  the  ridge  of 
the  hill,  and  for  the  first  time  came  in  sight  of  the  buffalo 
on  the  plain  beyond. 

They  were  a  band  of  cows,  four  or  five  hundred  in 
number,  who  were  crowded  together  near  the  bank  of  a 
wide  stream  that  was  soaking  across  the  sand-beds  of 
the  valley.  This  was  a  large,  circular  basin,  sun-scorched 
and  broken,  scantily  covered  with  herbage  and  encom- 
passed with  high,  barren  hills,  from  an  opening  in  which 
we  could  see  our  allies  galloping  out  upon  the  plain. 
The  wind  blew  from  that  direction.  The  buffalo  were 
aware  of  their  approach  and  began  to  move,  though 
very  slowly,  and  in  a  compact  mass.  Numerous  old 
bulls  were  scattered  over  the  plain,  and  ungallantly 
deserting  their  charge  at  our  approach,  began  to  wade 
and  plunge  through  the  treacherous  quicksands  of  the 
stream,  and  gallop  away  toward  the  hills. 

Looking  up,  I  saw  the  whole  body  of  Indians  full  in 
advance.  I  lashed  Pauline  in  pursuit  and  reached  them 
but  just  in  time ;  for  as  we  mingled  among  them,  each 
hunter,  as  if  by  common  impulse,  violently  struck  his 
horse,  each  horse  sprang  forward  convulsively,  and  scat- 


194  PIONEERS    OF    THE    AVEST 

tering  in  the  charge  in  order  to  assail  the  whole  herd 
at  once,  we  all  rushed  headlong  upon  the  buffalo.  We 
were  among  them  in  an  instant.  Amid  the  trampling 
and  the  yells  I  could  see  their  figures  running  hither 
and  thither  through  clouds  of  dust,  and  the  horsemen 
darting  in  pursuit.  While  we  were  charging  on  one 
side,  our  companions  had  attacked  the  bewildered  and 
panic-stricken  herd  on  the  other.  The  uproar  and  con- 
fusion lasted  but  for  a  moment.  The  dust  cleared 
away,  and  the  buffalo  could  be  seen  scattering  as  from 
a  common  centre,  flying  over  the  plain  singly  or  in  long 
files  and  small  compact  bodies,  while  behind  each  fol- 
lowed the  Indians,  lashing  their  horses  to  furious  speed, 
forcing  them  close  upon  their  prey,  and  yelling  as  they 
launched  arrow  after  arrow  into  their  sides.  The  large 
black  carcasses  were  strewn  thickly  over  the  ground. 
Here  and  there  wounded  buffalo  were  standing,  their 
bleeding  sides  feathered  with  arrows ;  and  as  I  rode 
past  them  their  eyes  would  glare,  they  would  bristle 
like  gigantic  cats,  and  feebly  attempt  to  rush  up  and 
gore  my  horse. 

Turning  back,  I  saw  Raymond  coming  on  his  black 
mule  to  meet  me ;  and  as  we  rode  over  the  field  to- 
gether, we  counted  dozens  of  carcasses  lying  on  the 
plain,  in  the  ravines,  and  on  the  sandy  bed  of  the 
stream.      The  hunters  began  to  return.      The  boys  who 


196  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

had  held  the  horses  behind  the  hill  made  their  appear- 
ance, and  the  work  of  flaying  and  cutting  up  began  in 
earnest  all  over  the  field.  I  noticed  my  host,  Kongra- 
Tonga,  beyond  the  stream,  just  alighting  by  the  side  of 
a  cow  which  he  had  killed.  Riding  up  to  him,  I  found 
him  in  the  act  of  drawing  out  an  arrow,  which,  with 
the  exception  of  the  notch  at  the  end,  had  entirely  dis- 
appeared in  the  animal.  I  asked  him  to  give  it  to  me, 
and  I  still  retain  it  as  a  proof,  though  by  no  means 
the  most  striking  one  that  could  be  offered,  of  the 
force  and  dexterity  with  which  the  Indians  discharge 
their  arrows.  • 

The  hides  and  meat  were  piled  upon  the  horses  and 
the  hunters  began  to  leave  the  ground.  Raymond  and 
I,  too,  getting  tired  of  the  scene,  set  out  for  the  village, 
riding  straight  across  the  intervening  desert.  At  length 
we  could  distinguish  the  tall  white  rocks  and  the  old 
pine  trees  that,  as  we  well  remembered,  were  just  above 
the  site  of  the  encampment.  Still  we  could  see  nothing 
of  the  village  itself  until,  ascending  a  grassy  hill,  we 
found  the  circle  of  lodges,  dingy  with  storms  and  smoke, 
standing  on  the  plain  at  our  very  feet. 

I  entered  the  lodge  of  my  host.  His  squaw  in- 
stantly brought  me  food  and  water,  and  spread  a  buf- 
falo robe  for  me  to  lie  upon  ;  and  being  much  fatigued, 
I    lay   down    and   fell    asleep.      In    about   an    hour    the 


PARKMAN'S    life   in   a   village    of    SIOUX   INDIANS       197 

entrance  of  Kongra-Tonga,  with  his  arms  smeared  with 
blood  to  the  elbows,  awoke  me.  He  sat  down  in  his 
usual  seat  on  the  left  side  of  the  lodge.  His  squaw 
gave  him  a  vessel  of  water  for  washing,  set  before  him 
a  bowl  of  boiled  meat,  and  as  he  was  eating,  pulled  off 
his  bloody  moccasins  and  placed  fresh  ones  on  his  feet ; 
then,  outstretching  his  limbs,  my  host  composed  him- 
self to  sleep. 

And  now  the  hunters,  two  or  three  at  a  time,  began 
to  come  rapidly  in,  and  each,  giving  his  horses  to  the 
squaws,  entered  his  lodge  with  the  air  of  a  man  whose 
day's  work  is  done.  The  squaws  flung  down  the  load 
from  the  burdened  horses,  and  vast  piles  of  meat  and 
hides  were  soon  accumulated  before  every  lodge.  By 
this  time  it  was  darkening  fast,  and  the  whole  village 
was  illumined  by  the  glare  of  fires  blazing  all  around. 
All  the  squaws  and  children  were  gathered  about  the 
piles  of  meat,  exploring  them  in  search  of  the  daintiest 
portions.  Some  of  these  they  roasted  on  sticks  before 
the  fires,  but  often  they  dispensed  with  this  superfluous 
operation.  Late  into  the  night  the  fires  were  still  glow- 
ing upon  the  groups  of  feasters  engaged  in  this  savage 
banquet  around  them. 

We  remained  encamped  on  this  spot  five  days,  during 
which  the  hunters  were  at  work  incessantly,  and  immense 
quantities  of  meat  and  hides  were  brought  in.      In  all 


198  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

qiuarters  the  meat,  hung  on  cords  of  hide,  was  drying 
in  the  sun,  and  around  the  lodges  the  squaws,  young  and 
old,  were  laboring  on  the  fresh  hides  that  were  stretched 
upon  the  ground,  scraping  tlie  hair  from  one  side  and  the 
still  adhering  flesh  from  the  other,  and  rubbing  into  them 
the  brains  of  the  buffalo,  in  order  to  render  them  soft 
and  pliant. 

Buffalo  hides  had  been  procured  in  sufficient  quantities 
for  making  the  next  season's  lodges ;  but  it  remained  to 
provide  the  long  slender  poles  on  which  they  were  to  be 
sup|)orted.  These  were  only  to  be  had  among  the  tall 
pine  woods  of  the  Black  Hills,^  and  in  that  direction, 
therefore,  our  next  move  was  to  be  made.  It  is  worthy 
of  notice  that  amid  the  general  abundance  which  pre- 
vailed in  the  camp  there  were  no  instances  of  individual 
privation ;  for  although  the  hide  and  the  tongue  of  the 
buffalo  belong  by  exclusive  right  to  the  hunter  who  has 
killed  it,  yet  any  one  else  is  equally  entitled  to  helj)  him- 
self from  the  rest  of  the  carcass. 

We  travelled  eastward  for  two  days,  and  then  the 
gloomy  ridges  of  the  Black  Hills  rose  before  us.  The 
Indians  passed  along  for  some  miles  beneath  their  declivi- 
ties, trailing  out  to  a  great  length  over  the  arid  prairie, 
or  winding  at  times  among  small,  detached  hills  of  dis- 
torted shapes.     Turning  sharply  to  the  left,  we  entered 

1  Not  the  Black  Hills  of  South  Dakota  but  of  southern  Wyoming. 


PARKMAX'S    LIFE    IN   A    VILLAGE    OF    SIOUX   INDIANS      199 

a  wide  defile  of  tlie  mountains,  down  the  bottom  of  which 
a  brook  came  winding,  lined  with  tall  grass  and  dense 
copses,  amid  which  were  hidden  many  beaver  dams  and 
lodges.  We  passed  along  between  two  lines  of  high 
precipices  and  rocks,  piled  in  utter  disorder  one  upon 
another,  and  with  scarcely  a  tree,  a  bush,  or  a  clump  of 
grass  to  veil  their  nakedness.  As  we  advanced,  the 
passage  grew  more  narrow ;  then  it  suddenly  expanded 
into  a  round,  grassy  meadow,  completely  encompassed 
by  mountains ;  and  here  the  families  stopped  as  they 
came  up  in  turn,  and  the  camp  rose  like  magic. 

The  lodges  were  hardly  erected  when,  wdth  their  usual 
haste,  the  Indians  set  about  accomplishing  the  object 
that  had  brought  them  tliere ;  that  is,  obtaining  poles 
for  supporting  their  new  lodges.  Half  the  population, 
men,  women,  and  boys,  mounted  their  horses  and  set  out 
for  the  interior  of  the  mountains.  We  passed  between 
precipices  more  than  a  thousand  feet  high,  sharp  and 
splintering  at  the  tops,  their  sides  beetling  over  the  defile 
or  descending  in  abrupt  declivities,  bristling  with  black 
fir  trees. ' 

After  having  ridden  in  this  manner  for  six  or  eight 
miles,  the  appearance  of  the  scene  began  to  change,  and 
all  the  declivities  around  us  were  covered  with  forests 
of  tall,  slender  pine  trees.  The  Indians  began  to  fall  off 
to  the  right  and  left,  and  dispersed  with  their  hatchets 


200  PIONEERS    OF    THE   WEST 

and  knives  among  these  woods,  to  cut  the  poles  which 
they  had  come  to  seek.  Soon  I  was  left  almost  alone ; 
but  in  the  deep  stillness  of  those  lonely  mountains,  the 
stroke  of  hatchets  and  the  sound  of  voices  might  be 
heard  far  and  near. 

The  camp  was  soon  full  of  newly  cut  lodge  poles ; 
some,  already  prepared,  were  stacked  together,  white 
and  glistening,  to  dry  and  harden  in  the  sun ;  others 
were  lying  on  the  ground,  and  the  squaws,  the  boys, 
and  even  some  of  the  warriors,  were  busily  at  work 
peeling  off  the  bark  and  paring  them  with  their  knives 
to  the  proper  dimensions.  Most  of  the  hides  obtained 
at  the  last  camp  were  dressed  and  scraped  thin  enough 
for  use,  and  many  of  the  squaws  were  engaged  in 
fitting  them  together  and  sewing  them  with  sinews,  to 
form  the  coverings  for  lodges. 


CHAPTER   VII 

DRAKE'S   VOYAGE   AND  VISIT   TO   CALIFORNIA  i 

Before  setting  out  on  his  adventurous  sailing  voyage 
round  the  world,  Francis  Drake  had  been  in  the  Gulf 
of  Mexico  with  Sir  John  Hawkins.  Hawkins  coasted 
along  the  western  shores  of  Africa,  where  he  captured 
negroes,  and  after  crossing  the  Atlantic,  sold  them  as 
slaves  to  the  Spaniards  in  the  West  Indies. 


^^M^^^^^p^i^^P^^^m 


Sir  Francis  Drake 


On  one  of  the  voyages  Drake  commanded  one  of  the 
ships  for  Hawkins.  While  Hawkins  and  Drake  were 
at  anchor  in  the  friendly  port  of  Vera  Cruz  (Ulloa), 
the    Spaniards  fell   upon    them    suddenly   and    destroyed 


^Authorities:  Burney  and  Hakluyt. 
201 


202  nONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

or  captured  most  of  Hawkins's  vessels.  Drake's  ship 
and  one  other  escaped.  The  captured  Englishmen  were 
cruelly  tortured  by  the  Spaniards.  On  account  of  this 
outrage  Drake  held  a  grudge  against  the  Spaniards 
which  may  have  led  him  to  undertake  his  famous  plun- 
dering voyage  in  Spanish  waters. 

At  any  rate,  by  the  autumn  of  1577  Drake  had 
brought  together,  with  the  aid  of  wealthy  Englishmen, 
five  small  vessels,  the  largest,  the  Pelican  (afterwards 
named  the  Golden  Hind),  of  one  hundred  tons  burden  and 
the  smallest,  the  Christojjlier,  a  pinnace  of  fifteen  tons 
burden.  Encouraged  by  the  queen  and  the  English 
nobles,  he  planned  to  make  with  these  ships  and  a  body 
of  164  men  a  plundering  trip  through  the  south  sea, 
especially  along  the  west  coast  of  South  America.  At 
this  time  Spain  and  England  were  at  peace,  but  both 
nations  were  disposed  to  take  advantage  of  each  other 
in  secret  ways. 

Having  made  several  previous  voyages  to  the  West 
Indies,  Drake  knew  well  what  stores  would  be  needed 
upon  an  adventure  of  this  kind.  His  ships  were  furnished 
with  a  complete  outfit  of  arms  and  supplies.  The  Pelican 
had  ready  for  use  twenty  cannon  of  brass  and  iron  besides 
others  stored  in  the  hold.  Besides  being  fitted  out  with 
all  necessary  goods  and  articles  for  traffic  with  the  native 
tribes,  his  ship  was  furnished  with  some  show  of  luxury. 


drake's    voyage   and    visit    to    CALIFORNIA  203 

There  was  a  rich  table-service  of  silver,  and  there 
were  fine  robes  and  gorgeous  dress  for  both  himself 
and  his  men  with  which  to  make  a  splendid  appear- 
ance. In  addition  to  the  five  vessels  he  carried  in  the 
holds  of  his  larger  ships  several  light  pinnaces  which 
could  be  put  together  and  used  for  coasting  along  the 
shores  and  inlets  where  the  larger  vessels  could  not  safely 
enter. 

Before  starting,  in  order  to  deceive  the  Spaniards  Drake 
gave  out  that  he  was  about  to  sail  for  Egypt,  but  as  soon 
as  he  was  on  the  open  sea,  in  December,  1577,  he  ordered 
his  crews  to  make  for  the  coast  of  Africa.  Along  this 
coast  he  captured  a  number  of  Spanish  boats  and  caravels, 
and  off  Cape  Blanco  he  took  a  Spanish  ship.  Near  the 
island  of  Brava  Drake's  little  fleet  captured  a  Portuguese 
ship  loaded  with  a  rich  cargo  of  wines,  cloths,  and  other 
goods,  and  this  prize  they  manned  and  carried  along. 
Brava  is  described  thus :  "  About  two  leagues  from  the 
island  of  Togo  lieth  a  most  sweet  and  pleasant  island. 
The  trees  thereon  are  always  green,  and  the  soil  almost 
full  of  trees,  so  that  it  is  a  storehouse  of  many  fruits  and 
comodities,  as  figs  always  ripe,  cocos,  plantains,  oranges, 
lemons,  cotton,  etc.  From  the  banks  into  the  sea  do  run 
in  many  places  the  silver  streams  of  sweet  and  whole- 
some water,  which  w^ith  boats  may  easily  be  taken  in. 
But  there  is  no  convenient  place  or  rode  for  ships,  nor 


DRAKE'S    VOYAGE   AND    VISIT    TO    CALIFORNIA  205 

anchoring  ground  to  be  had,  the  sea  being  above  120 
fathoms  in  depth  close  to  the  shore." 

Having  taken  on  a  supply  of  fresh  water  and  food, 
the  squadron,  passing  across  the  equator,  sailed  for 
the  coast  of  Brazil.  About  the  middle  of  April 
they  entered  the  mouth  of  La  Plata  River,  where 
one  of  the  ships  that  had  become  separated  from 
the  rest  rejoined  them.  A  few  miles  farther  up  this 
river  they  took  many  seals  which  frequent  the  rocks. 
"  These  were  good  an'd  acceptable  meat,  both  as  food 
for  the  present,  and  as  a  supply  of  provisions  for  the 
future.'* 

Sailing  southward,  after  stopping  at  various  points,  the 
scattered  ships  were  finally  brought  together  again  at  Port 
San  Julian,  June  20th. 

Here  they  prepared  to  spend  the  winter  months.  It 
was  the  same  port  where  Magellan  had  wintered  in  his 
famous  voyage  round  the  world.  Strange  to  say,  at  this 
port  Drake  had  to  deal  with  mutiny  among  his  men  as 
was  the  case  with  Magellan  before  him.  One  of  the 
captains,  Thomas  Doughtie,  was  accused  of  plotting 
against  Drake,  and,  being  tried  by  a  jury,  was  condemned 
and  beheaded. 

On  account  of  the  danger  of  scattering  the  fleet  and  be- 
cause some  of  the  boats  were  leaky,  all  the  ships  but  three 

*  Quoted  by  Burney  in  "  South  Sea  Discoveries,"  p.  310. 


206  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

were  broken  up,  their  goods  and  crews  having  been  trans- 
ferred to  the  three  larger  ships. 

After  two  months  of  wintering  the  three  vessels  sailed 
southward  and  entered  the  straits  of  Magellan.  Slowly 
working  their  way  through  these  straits,  when  they  came 
to  the  many  passages  and  islands  of  the  western  entrance, 
the  ships  were  anchored  and  Drake  with  some  of  his  men 
set  out  in  a  small  boat  to  discover  the  best  passage.  "  As 
they  returned  they  met  a  canoe  in  which  were  Indians  of 
small  stature,  but  well  made.  The  canoe  was  made  of  the 
bark  of  trees,  and  had  a  semicircular  high  prow  and  stern. 
The  body  was  handsomely  moulded,  and  the  workmanship 
was  excellent.  It  had  no  other  closing  up  or  calking  of 
the  seams  than  their  being  stitched  with  thongs  made  of 
the  skins  of  seals,  or  some  other  animal,  and  yet  they 
were  so  close  that  scarcely  any  water  entered  the  canoe. 
The  tools  which  they  used  were  knives  made  of  muscle 
shells  (which  in  the  straight  are  of  extraordinary  size, 
some  of  them  twenty  inches  in  length).  The  thin,  brittle 
edge  of  the  shell  is  broken  off,  and  a  new  edge  is 
made  by  rubbing  or  grinding  upon  stones,  which  is 
so  sharp  and  well  tempered  that  it  will  cut  the  hardest 
wood,  and  even  the  bones,  of  which  they  make  fish- 
gigs.  They  had  a  house  upon  the  island,  which  was 
simply  a  few  poles  covered  with  the  skins  of  beasts. 
The  vessels  in  which  they  kept  water  and  their  drinking 


drake's   voyage  and   visit   to   CALIFORNIA  207 

cups  were  made  of  the  bark  of  trees,  of  good  shape  and 
workmanship."  ^ 

On  the  7th  of  September  they  emerged  from  the  straits 
into  the  Pacific  Ocean.  But  now  their  ships  were  struck 
by  a  storm  which  drove  them  to  the  southwest,  and  after- 
ward returning  to  the  coast  near  the  straits,  the  ships 
became  sej)arated.  Drake  was  driven  southward  by  the 
storms,  along  the  island  coast,  till  he  reached  Cape  Horn 
at  the  extreme  southern  limit  of  South  America.  From 
this  point,  looking  southward,  neither  island  nor  mainland 
can  be  seen ;  here  the  Atlantic  and  the  Pacific  meet  in  a 
wide,  open  sea. 

'^  On  the  30th  of  October  the  wind  coming  fair  from 
the  south,  the  General  weighed  anchor,  '  departing  hence 
from  the  southernmost  part  of  the  world  known  or  like 
to  be  known.'  They  sailed  first  to  the  northwest.  The 
next  day  they  took  in  provisions  of  birds  on  two  islands 
and  continued  from  thence,  steering  to  the  northwest. 
Afterward,  to  keep  in  with  the  land,  they  steered  to  the 
north  and  sometimes  to  the  east  of  north."  ^ 

Sailing  northward  along  the  coast,  Drake  searched 
anxiously  for  his  missing  ships.  They  had  in  fact  de- 
serted him  and  returned  to  the  straits.  Having  learned 
from  a  captured  native  that  there  was  a  Spanish  ship  in 
the  harbor  of  Valparaiso,  the  English  entered  it  and  made 

1  Burney. 


208  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

a  prize  of  this  "  Grand  Captain  of  the  South."  She  con- 
tained 1770  jars  of  wine  and  a  great  quantity  of  silver, 
jewels,  and  other  merchandize.  They  also  plundered  the 
town,  taking  some  ornaments  from  the  church,  and  espe- 
cially, wine,  bread,  and  bacon  from  the  storehouses. 

Passing  along  this  coast,  they  traded  with  the  Indians 
for  fish  and  plundered  the  Spaniards  as  opportunity 
offered. 

"  At  an  Indian  town  where  two  Spaniards  resided  as 
governors,  the  English  obtained,  in  the  way  of  traffic, 
some  Peruvian  sheep.  These  animals  are  described  to 
be  about  the  size  of  small  cows,  having  strength  more 
than  proportioned  to  their  stature.  One  of  them  bore  the 
weight  of  three  stout  men  and  a  bag,  without  appearing 
oppressed.  They  have  necks  like  camels  and  heads  that 
have  some  resemblance  to  those  of  other  sheep.  Their 
wool  is  fine  and  their  flesh  good.  They  supply  the  place 
of  horses  and  travel  with  heavy  burthens  over  mountains, 
which  no  carriage  or  other  animal  laden  can  pass." 

At  Erica,  where  two  Spanish  ships  were  anchored,  the 
English  entered  and  took  from  them  "  above  forty  bars  of 
silver  of  the  bigness  and  fashion  of  brickbats,  in  weight 
about  twenty  pounds  each,"  and  two  hundred  jars  of 
wine.     At  Arequipa  also,  they  captured  a  prize  ship. 

At  Callao  Drake  found  seventeen  ships  riding  in  the  road. 
He  took  some  valuables  from  these  ships  and  then  dis- 


drake's    voyage   and    visit    to    CALIFOIINIA  209 

abled  them  by  cutting  their  cables  and  hewing  away  the 
masts  of  the  larger  ones,  so  they  could  not  pursue  him. 
He  then  set  sail  to  overtake  a  great  treasure  ship  which 
he  learned  had  sailed  for  Panama  about  two  weeks  before. 
The  Spanish  governor  of  Peru,  upon  discovering  what 
Drake  had  done,  at  once  fitted  up  two  ships,  each  with  two 
hundred  armed  men,  and  sent  them  in  pursuit  of  Drake. 
But  they  were  poorly  provided  and  soon  gave  up  the 
chase.  A  stronger  force  was  later  sent  out  but  did  not 
overtake  Drake. 

After  two  weeks  of  close  pursuit  of  the  treasure  ship, 
they  overtook  it.  "  The  Spanish  captain,  having  no  sus- 
picion that  an  enemy  was  so  near  him,  stood  toward  the 
strange  ship,  supposing  her  to  be  one  of  those  that  traded 
along  the  coast.  When  they  were  near  each  other,  Drake 
hailed  them  to  strike,  which  the  Spaniard  refused  to  do 
till  after  one  of  his  masts  was  shot  away  and  himself 
wounded  with  an  arrow.  As  soon  as  possession  was 
taken  of  the  Spanish  ship,  Drake  made  sail  with  his 
prize,  steering  a  direct  course  from  the  land  all  that 
night  and  all  the  next  day  and  night;  when,  thinking 
they  were  at  a  safe  distance  from  the  coast,  they  stopped 
and  lay  by  their  prize  for  four  days,  taking  out  her 
cargo  and  loading  their  own  ship.  The  treasure  found 
in  this  Spanish  vessel  consisted  of  thirteen  chests  of 
royals  of  plate,  eighty-pound  weight  of  gold^  twenty-six 


210  PIONEERS   OF    THE   WEST 

tons  of  uncoined  silver,  and  a  quantity  of  jewels  and 
precious  stones."  The  Spanish  government  estimated  its 
loss  by  the  capture  of  this  treasure  ship  at  five  millions  of 
dollars.  After  having  been  stripped  of  her  rich  cargo, 
the  Spanish  vessel  was  allowed  to  proceed  on  her  jour- 
ney to  Panama. 

Having  thus  filled  their  ships  with  the  booty  plundered 
from  Spanish  towns  and  vessels,  the  thoughts  of  Drake 
and  his  crew  turned  homeward.  But  which  way  should 
they  choose  for  their  return  voyage  ?  To  set  out  by  way 
of  Cape  Horn  would  invite  the  attack  of  Spanish  vessels, 
well  armed  and  stationed  there  to  hinder  his  return.  None 
but  Magellan  had  crossed  the  Pacific  Ocean  and  that  was 
a  long  road  home.  There  might  be  a  northern  passage 
back  to  Europe,  but  no  one  had  explored  the  lands  north 
of  Mexico,  and  Drake  knew  but  little  about  the  continent 
which  we  call  North  America,  except  a  few  points  along 
the  Atlantic  coast-line. 

"  All  of  us  willingly  hearkened  and  consented  to  our 
General's  advice ;  which  was  first  to  seek  out  some  con- 
venient place  to  trim  our  ship  and  store  ourselves  with 
wood  and  water  and  such  provision  as  we  could  get,  and 
thenceforward  to  hasten  on  our  intended  journey  for  the 
discovery  of  the  said  passage,  through  which  we  might 
with  joy  return  to  our  longed  homes." 

Sailing  to  the  coast  of  Nicaragua,  Drake  and  his  men 


drake's    voyage   and    visit   to    CALIFORNIA  211 

landed  cat  a  small  island  near  the  mouth  of  a  fresh-water 
stream.  Near  this  they  captured  a  Spanish  vessel  loaded 
with  sarsaparilla,  butter,  honey,  and  other  things.  Drake 
ordered  tlie  cargo  to  be  unloaded  and  transferred  his  own 
cargo  to  the  empty  ship.  His  own  ship  was  then  laid  on 
shore  and  her  bottom  examined.  There  was  plenty  of 
wood  on  the  island,  and  taking  on  board  a  supply  of  wood 
and  water,  they  reloaded  their  vessel  and  sailed  westward 
along  the  coast.  Having  taken  from  another  Spanish  ship 
loaded  with  silks,  fine  chinas,  and  linen  clothes,  such  things 
as  they  desired,  they  anchored  at  Guatluca,  released  their 
Spanish  prisoners,  and  sailed  northward,  April  14th. 

(The  following  account  of  the  first  visit  to  the  coast  of 
California  is  from  Hakluyt.) 

Our  General  at  this  place  and  time,  thinking  himself 
both  in  respect  to  his  private  injuries  received  from  the 
Spaniards,  and  also  of  their  contempts  and  indignities 
offered  to  our  country  aTid  prince  in  general,  sufficiently 
satisfied  and  revenged ;  and  thinking  that  her  Majesty  on 
his  return  would  rest  contented  with  this  service,  purposed 
to  continue  no  louger  upon  the  Spanish  coast,  but  began  to 
consult  the  best  way  for  his  country. 

He  thought  it  not  good  to  return  by  the  straits,  for 
two  special  causes,  the  one,  lest  the  Spaniards  should  there 
wait,  and  attend  for  him  in  great  numbers  and  strength  ; 
whole  hands,  he  being  left  but  one  ship,  could  not  possibly 


212  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

escape.  The  other  cause  was  the  dangerous  situation  of 
the  mouth  of  the  straits  of  the  south  side,  with  continual 
storms  and  bkistering,  as  he  found  by  experience,  besides 
the  shoals  and  sands  upon  the  coast.  Wherefore  he 
thought  it  not  a  good  course  to  adventure  that  way.  He 
resolved,  therefore,  to  avoid  these  hazards,  to  go  forward 
to  the  Islands  of  the  Moluccas,  and  there  hence  to  sail  the 
course  of  the  Portuguese  by  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

Upon  this  resolution  he  began  to  think  of  his  best  way 
for  the  Moluccas,  and  finding  himself,  where  he  now  was, 
becalmed,  he  saw  that  of  necessity  he  must  be  enforced  to 
take  a  Spanish  course,  namely,  to  sail  somewhat  northerly 
to  get  a  wind.  We  therefore  set  sail  and  sailed  eight 
hundred  leagues  at  the  least,  for  a  good  wind,  and  thus 
much  we  sailed  from  the  sixteenth  of  April,  after  our  old 
style,  till  the  third  of  June.  (Other  accounts  give  the  dis- 
tance at  2500  leagues,  and  explain  that  Drake  was  seek- 
ing a  northwest  passage  round  America.) 

The  fifth  day  of  June,  being  in  forty-three  degrees 
toward  the  pole  Arctic,  being  speedily  come  out  of  the 
extreme  heat,  we  found  the  air  so  cold  that  our  men, 
being  pinched  with  the  same,  complained  of  the  extremity 
thereof,  and  the  further  we  went  the  more  the  cold  in- 
creased upon  us,  whereupon  we  thought  it  best  for  that 
time  to  seek  land,  and  did  so,  finding  it  not  mountains  but 
low  plain  land  ;  and  we  drew  back  again  without  landing 


drake's    voyage   and    visit   to    CALIFORNIA  213 

till  we  came  within  thirtj'-eight  degrees  toward  the  line. 
In  which  height  it  pleased  God  to  send  us  into  a  fair  and 
good  bay,  with  a  good  wind  to  enter  the  same.  (It  is 
generally  believed  that  Drake  sailed  north  at  tliis  time  to 
about  forty-eight  degrees  north  latitude,  and  that  this  bay 
in  which  he  finally  cast  anchor  was  the  Bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, so  named  later,  probably,  from  Sir  Francis.) 

In  this  bay  we  anchored  the  seventeenth  of  June,  and 
the  people  of  the  country,  having  their  houses  close  by  the 
water  side,  showed  themselves  unto  us  and  sent  a  present 
to  our  General.  "  The  ship  had  sprung  a  leak  at  sea,  and 
to  lighten  her  to  come  at  the  leak,  it  was  found  necessary 
to  land  the  stores  and  goods.  On  the  21st  the  ship 
w'as  for  that  purpose  brought  to  anchor  close  to  the  shore, 
and  the  General  landed  his  men  with  tents  and  such 
things  as  were  necessary  for  building  a  fort  for  the  de- 
fence of  themselves  and  their  effects."  ^ 

When  they  (the  natives)  came  unto  us  they  greath^ 
wondered  at  the  things  w^hich  we  brought,  but  our  Gen- 
eral, according  to  his  natural  and  accustomed  humanity, 
courteously  entreated  them  and  liberally  bestowed  upon 
them  necessary  things  to  cover  their  nakedness,  whereupon 
they  supposed  us  to  be  gods,  and  would  not  be  persuaded 
to  the  contrary.  The  presents  they  sent  unto  our  General 
were  feathers  and  kinds  of  net  work. 

1  Burney. 


214  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

Their  houses  are  digged  round  about  with  earth,  and 
have  from  the  outermost  rim  of  the  circle  clefts  of  wood 
set  upon  them,  joining  close  together  at  the  top  like  a 
spire  steeple,  which  by  reason  of  that  closeness  are  very 
warm. 

Their  bed  is  the  ground,  with  rushes  strewn  upon  it,  and 
lying  about  the  house ;  they  have  the  fire  in  the  midst. 
The  men  go  naked,  the  women  take  bulrushes  and  comb 
them  after  the  manner  of  hemp  and  thereof  make  them 
loose  garments,  which  knit  about  their  middles,  hang 
down  about  their  hips,  having  also  about  their  shoulders  a 
skin  of  deer,  with  the  hair  on  it.  The  women  are  very 
obedient  and  serviceable  to  their  husbands. 

After  they  (tlie  natives)  were  departed  from  us  they 
came  and  visited  us  a  second  time  and  brought  with  them 
feathers  and  bags  of  tobacco  for  presents.  (It  is  believed 
from  other  accounts  that  this  was  not  tobacco  but  tohah, 
a  kind  of  herb,  possibly  for  food)  And  when  they  came 
to  the  top  of  the  hill,  at  the  bottom  whereof  we  had 
pitched  our  tents,  they  stayed  themselves,  where  one 
appointed  for  speaker  wearied  himself  with  making  a 
long  oration,  which  done,  they  left  their  bows  upon  the 
hill  and  came  down  with  their  presents. 

In  the.  meantime  the  women  remaining  on  the  hill  tor- 
mented themselves  lamentably,  tearing  their  flesh  from 
their  cheeks,  whereby  we  perceived  they  were   about   a 


-^ 


^ 


-u 


^4^ 


Eakly  Inhabitants  of  California  (from  an  old  print) 


216  PIONEERS    OP    THE    WEST 

sacrifice.  In  the  meantime  our  General,  with  his  com- 
pany, went  to  prayer,  and  to  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  at 
which  exercise  they  were  attentive,  and  seemed  greatly  to 
be  affected  with  it.  But  when  they  were  come  unto  us 
they  restored  unto  us  again  those  things  which  before  we 
had  bestowed  upon  them. 

The  news  of  our  being  there  being  spread  through  the 
country,  the  people  that  inhabited  round  about  came,  and 
amongst  them  the  king  himself,  a  man  of  goodly  stature 
and  comely  personage,  with  many  other  tall  and  warhke 
men  ;  before  whose  coming  were  sent  two  ambassadors  to 
our  General  to  signify  that  their  king  was  coming,  in  do- 
ing of  which  message  their  speech  was  continued  about 
half  an  hour.  This  ended,  they  by  signs  requested  our 
General  to  send  something  by  their  hand'to  their  king,  as 
a  token  that  his  coming  might  be  in  peace :  wherein  our 
General,  having  catechised  them,  they  returned  with  glad 
tidings  to  their  king,  who  marched  to  us  with  a  princely 
majesty,  the  people  crying  continually  after  their  manner, 
and  as  they  drew  near  unto  us  so  did  they  strive  to  behave 
themselves  in  their  actions  with  comeliness. 

In  the  forefront  was  a  man  of  goodly  personage,  who 
bore  a  sceptre  or  mace  before  the  king  whereupon  hanged 
two  crowns,  a  less  and  a  bigger,  with  three  chains  of  a 
marvellous  length.  The  chains  were  made  of  a  bony  sub- 
stance,  and  few  be  the   persons  among   them   that   are 


drake's    voyage   and    visit    to    CALIFORNIA  217 

.admitted  to  wear  them ;  and  of  that  number  also  the  per- 
sons are  stinted,  as  some  ten,  some  twelve,  etc.  Next  unto 
him  which  bare  the  sceptre  was  the  king  himself,  with  his 
grand  guard  about  his  person,  clad  with  conie  skins  and 
other  skins.  After  them  followed  the  naked  common  sort 
of  people,  every  one  having  his  face  painted,  some  with 
white,  some  with  black  and  other  colors,  and  having  in 
their  hands  one  thing  or  other  for  a  present ;  not  so  much 
as  their  children,  but  they  also  brought  their  presents. 

In  the  meantime  our  General  o-athered  his  men  together 
and  marched  within  his  fenced  place,  making  against  their 
approaching  a  very  warlike  show.  They  being  trooped 
together  in  their  order,  and  a  general  salutation  being 
made,  there  was  presently  a  general  silence.  Then  he 
that  bare  the  sceptre  before  the  king,  being  informed  by 
another  whom  they  assigned  to  that  office,  with  a  manly 
and  lofty  voice  proclaimed  that  which  the  other  spake  to 
him  in  secret,  continuing  a  half  an  hour ;  which  ended,  and 
a  general  amen  as  it  were  given,  the  king  with  the  whole 
number  of  men  and  women,  the  children  excepted,  came 
down  without  any  weapon,  who  descending  to  the  foot  of 
the  hill  set  themselves  in  order. 

In  coming  toward  our  bulwarks  and  tents,  the  sceptre 
bearer  began  a  song,  observing  his  measure  in  a  dance, 
and  that  with  stately  countenance,  whom  the  king  with 
his  guard,  and  every  degree  of  persons  following,  did  in 


218 


PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 


like  manner  sing  and  dance,  having  only  the  women 
which  danced  and  kept  silence.  The  General  permitted 
them  to  enter  within  our  bulwark,  where  they  continued 
their  song  and  dance  a  reasonable  time.  When  they  had 
satisfied  themselves,  they  made  signs  to  our  General  to  sit 
down,  to  whom  the  king  and  divers  others  made  orations. 


The  Crowning  of  Drake 

or  rather  supplication,  that  he  would  take  their  province 
and  kingdom  into  his  hand  and  become  their  king,  mak- 
ing signs  that  they  would  resign  unto  him  their  right  and 
title  of  the  whole  land  and  become  his  subjects.  (Some 
writers  think  that  this  was  not  a  correct  interpretation  of 
the  actions  and  speech  of  the  Indians.) 


drake's   voyage   and   visit   to   CALIFORNIA  219 

In  which  to  persuade  the  better,  the  king  and  the  rest 
with  one  consent  and  with  great  reverence,  joyfully  sing- 
ing a  song,  did  set  the  crown  npon  his  head,  enriched  his 
neck  wdth  all  their  chains,  and  offered  unto  him  manj^ 
other  things,  honoring  him  by  the  name  of  Hioli,  adding 
thereto,  as  it  seemed,  a  sign  of  triumph,  which  thing  our 
General  thought  not  meet  to  reject,  because  he  knew  not 
what  honor  and  profit  it  might  be  to  our  country. 
Wherefore  in  the  name  and  to  the  use  of  her  Majesty  he 
took  the  sceptre,  crown,  and  dignity  of  the  said  country  in 
his  hands,  wishing  that  the  riches  and  treasure  thereof 
might  so  be  conveniently  transported  to  the  enriching  of 
her  kingdom  at  home  as  it  aboundeth  in  the  same. 

The  common  sort  of  the  people,  leaving  the  king  and 
his  guard  with  our  General,  scattered  themselves  together 
with  their  sacrifices  among  our  people,  taking  a  diligent 
view  of  every  person ;  and  such  as  pleased  their  fancy 
(which  were  the  youngest)  they,  enclosing  them  about, 
offered  their  sacrifice  unto  them  with  lamentable  weeping, 
scratching  and  tearing  the  flesh  from  their  faces  with 
their  nails,  whereof  issued  abundance  of  blood.  But  we 
used  simis  to  them  of  our  misl iking;  this,  and  staved  their 
hands  from  force,  and  directed  them  upward  to  the  living 
God,  whom  only  they  ought  to  worship.  They  showed 
unto  us  theh^  wounds  and  craved  help  of  them  at  our 
hands,  whereupon  we  gave  them  lotions,  plaster,  and  oint- 


220  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

ments  agreeing  to  the  state  of  their  griefs,  beseeching  God 
to  cure  their  diseases.  Every  third  day  they  brought 
their  sacrifices  unto  us,  until  they  understood  our  mean- 
ing, that  we  had  no  pleasure  in  them.  Yet  they  could 
not  long  be  absent  from  us,  but  daily  frequented  our 
company  to  the  hour  of  our  departure ;  which  departure 
seemed  so  grievous  unto  them  that  their  joy  was  turned 
into  sorrow.  They  entreated  us  that  being  absent  we 
would  remember  them,  and  by  stealth  provided  a  sacrifice 
which  we  misliked. 

Our  necessary  business  being  ended,  our  General,  with 
his  company,  travelled  up  into  the  country  to  their  vil- 
lages, where  we  found  herds  of  deer  by  a  thousand  in  a 
company,  being  most  large  and  fat  of  body. 

We  found  the  whole  country  to  be  a  warren  of  a 
strange  kind  of  conies,  their  bodies  in  bigness  as  the 
Barbary  conies,  their  heads  as  the  heads  of  ours,  the 
feet  of  a  mole  and  the  tail  of  a  rat,  being  of  great 
length ;  under  her  chin,  on  either  side,  a  bag  into 
which  she  gathereth  her  meat  when  she  hath  filled  her 
belly  abroad.  The  people  eat  their  bodies  and  make 
great  account  of  their  skins,  for  their  king's  coat  was 
made  of  them. 

Our  General  called  this  country  New  Albion,  and 
that  for  two  causes,  the  one  in  respect  of  the  white 
banks    and    cliffs,  which    lie    toward    the   sea;    and   the 


drake's  voyage  and  visit  to  califounia         221 

other  because  it  might  have  some  affinity  witli  our 
country  in  name,  which  sometimes  was  so  called. 

There  is  no  part  of  earth  here  to  be  taken  up 
wherein  there  is  not  some  likelihood  of  t»:old  or 
silver. 

At  our  departure  hence  our  General  set  up  a  monu-. 
ment  of  our  being  there :  as  also  of  her  Majesty's  right 
and  title  to  the  same,  namely  a  plate  nailed  upon  a 
fair  great  post,  whereupon  was  engraven  her  Majesty's 
name,  the  day  and  year  of  our  arrival  there,  with  the 
free  giving  up  of  the  province  and  people  unto  her 
Majesty's  hands,  together  with  her  Highness's  picture 
and  arms  in  a  piece  of  sixpence  of  current  English 
money  under  the  plate  whereunder  was  written  a"lso  the 
name  of  our  General. 

It  seemeth  that  the  Spaniards  hitherto  had  never 
been  in  this  part  of  the  country,  neither  did  ever  dis- 
cover the  land  by  many  degrees  to  the  southward  of 
this  place. 

(This  ends  the  account  from  Hakluyt.) 

"  July  23,  Drake  sailed.  As  long  as  the  ship  con- 
tinued in  sight,  the  natives  kept  fires  on  the  tops  of 
the  hills.  Near  the  port  the  English  quitted  are  some 
islands  by  which  the  ship  remained  the  whole  of  July 
24th  and  caught  a  good  store  of  seals  and  birds.  They 
were  named  the  Islands  of  St.  James,  and  are,  no  doubt. 


222  PIONEERS    OF    THE   WEST 

the  same  islands  or  rocks  which  appear  in  the  late 
charts  near  the  entrance  of  Port  San  Francisco. 

"  Drake  now  sailed  sixty-eight  days  westward  before 
he  again  saw  land.  Passing  other  islands  he  reached 
the  Philippines,  and  later  the  Moluccas.  The  14th  of 
November,  they  anchored  at  a  small  island  in  1°  40' 
South,  near  the  eastern  part  of  Celebes.  This  island 
being  uninhabited  was  deemed  a  secure  and  good  place 
for  repairing  the  ship,  and  here  they  remained  for  four 
weeks,  undisturbed,  with  tents  erected  and  a  forge  set 
up  on  shore,  taking  the  precaution  to  entrench  round 
the  tents  that  they  might  be  prej^ared  against  unwel- 
come visitors. 

"December  12th  they  sailed  toward  the  west,  by 
which  course  they  got  entangled  with  a  number  of 
islands  and  shoals  near  the  coast  of  Celebes.  With  the 
intention  of  getting  clear  of  these  they  steered  toward 
the  south.  On  Jan.  9,  1580,  they  thought  themselves 
in  a  clear  sea,  but  early  in  the  first  watch,  that  same 
night,  as  the  ship  was  running  under  full  sail,  with 
the  wind  large  and  blowing  moderately  fresh,  they  came 
all  at  once  upon  a  rocky  shoal,  and  stuck  fast.  Boats 
were  got  out  to  examine  if  an  anchor  could  be  placed 
in  any  direction,  by  which  they  might  endeavor  to  draw 
the  ship  off  into  deep  water,  but  at  the  distance  of  a 
boat's   length   no  bottom  could  be  found  with  all  their 


drake's    voyage   and    visit    to    CALIFORNIA  223 

lines.  ...  In  this  state  of  distress  every  one  was  sum- 
moned to  prayers ;  and  when  that  duty  was  performed, 
that  no  means  that  tliey  could  think  of  should  remain 
untried,  it  Avas  determined  to  lighten  the  ship  of  part 
of  her  lading.  Three  tons  of  cloves,  eight  of  guns  and 
a  quantity  of  meal  and  beans,  w^ere  thrown  into  the 
sea,  but  without  producing  any  visible  benefit. 

^'  The  ship  had  grounded  on  a  shelving  rock,  and  where 
she  lay  there  was,  on  one  side,  only  six  feet  depth  at  low 
water  and  it  required  thirteen  feet  depth  to  float  her. 
The  wind  blowing  fresh  directly  against  the  other  side 
had  kept  the  ship  upright  during  the  time  she  was  left 
by  the  tide ;  but  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  tide  was 
nearly  at  the  lowest,  the  wind  slackened,  and  the  ship, 
losing  this  prop,  suddenly  fell  toward  the  deep  water. 
With  the  shake  her  keel  was  freed  from  the  rocks,  and 
not  less  to  the  surprise  than  to  the  great  joy  of  every  one 
on  board,  she  was  once  more  afloat. 

"  On  March  the  12th  they  anchored  at  a  port  on  the 
south  side  of  the  island  of  Java,  where  they  remained  till 
the  26th,  and  procured  every  necessary  supply.  The 
whole  of  this  time  was  passed  in  feasting  and  jollity,  the 
greatest  familiarity  subsisting  between  the  General  and 
the  native  chiefs  of  the  part  of  the  island  Avhere  the 
ship  lay. 

"  From  Java  they  steered  for  the  Cape  of  Good  Hoj)e, 


224  PIONEERS    OF    THE    WEST 

close  by  which  cape  they  passed  June  15.  The  22(i  of 
July  they  put  in  at  Sierra  Leone  on  the  coast  of  Africa, 
where  they  stopped  two  days  to  take  in  water,  and 
obtained  there  oysters  and  fruit.  The  24th  they  again 
put  to  sea,  and  on  the  26tli  of  September,  they  anchored 
safe  at  Plymouth  after  an  absence  of  two  years  and 
almost  ten  months.  By  the  account  of  time  in  the  ship, 
the  day  of  their  arrival  was  Sunday.  With  the  people 
on  shore  it  was  Monday."  ^ 

Drake  soon  made  his  way  to  the  court  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth, who  received  him  with  much  favor,  and  later  dined 
with  him  on  board  his  ship. 

Some  part  of  the  money  brought  back  on  the  Golden 
Hind  was  afterward  paid  back  at  the  demand  of  the 
Spanish  government,  but  it  is  supposed  that  the  greater 
part  of  it  was  divided  among  the  crew.  It  is  estimated 
that  fifty-eight  persons  returned  with  Drake  to  Plymouth. 

^  Barney. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CORONADO'S  EXPLORING   TRIP  IN   THE   SOUTHWEST  i 

Cortes,  while  governor  of  Mexico,  had  sent  out  vari- 
ous exploring  parties,  and  had  himself  made  one  long 
expedition  toward  the  northwest  to  open  up  the  regions 
lying  in  the  direction  of  the  country  now  known  as 
California. 

At  this  time  the  Pueblo  Indian  tribes  lived  in  New 
Mexico,  Arizona,  and  the  southern  part  of  Utah  and 
Colorado.  They  were  more  highly  civilized  than  any 
other  Indians  of  North  America,  except  those  of  Mexico. 
They  lived  in  large  houses,  sometimes  three  stories 
high,  built  of  stone  or  adobe,  that  is,  sun-dried  brick. 
Their  villages  and  towns  w^ere  located  along  the  upper 
waters  of  the  Rio  Grande  and  the  southeastern  tribu- 
taries of  the  Colorado  River. 

Rumors  came  to  the  ears  of  the  Spaniards  of  great 
kingdoms  in  the  northland,  of  a  country  rich  in  gold 
and  jewels.  An  Indian  slave  related  to  the  Spaniard 
Guzman,  in  1530,  the  tale  of  the  Seven  Cities,  rich 
in  treasures.     Guzman  made  an  expedition  to  the  north 

1  Authorities:  Ilakluyt  and  Winsor. 
Q  225 


226  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

with  four  hundred  Spaniards,  and  heard  still  other 
favorable  reports  of  this  region. 

When  Mendoza  became  viceroy  of  Mexico,  he  ap- 
pointed Coronado  governor  of  New  Gallicia,  the  north- 
west province  of  Mexico,  and  the  latter  became  greatly 
interested  in  exploring  the  unknown  north.  But  first  he 
sent  out  Friar  Marcos,  a  monk,  with  a  small  party,  to 
make  a  journey  into  this  new  region  and  to  report  the 
results  of  his  explorations.  After  many  interesting  travels 
and  adventures.  Friar  Marcos  retm-ned  with  very  promis- 
ing accounts  of  the  cities  he  had  visited  and  of  other 
greater  cities  of  which  he  had  heard. 

In  the  spring  of  1540  Coronado  collected  an  army 
of  three  hundred  Spaniards  and  eight  hundred  Indians, 
and  set  out  upon  his  famous  journey  northward  and 
eastward. 

A  fleet  was  to  sail  along  the  coast  northward  under 
the  command  of  Alarcon.  Alarcon  had  received  orders 
to  sail  along  the  coast  of  the  southern  sea  in  order 
to  accompany  the  march  of  the  expedition.  He  was 
dh^ected  to  transport  the  heavy  stores  and  to  keep  up 
communication  with  the  land  forces  by  means  of  the  rivers 
that  empty  into  that  sea.  This  part  of  the  plan,  however, 
failed  of  success,  as  Coronado's  line  of  march  soon  led  him 
to  a  considerable  distance  from  the  coast.  Alarcon  sailed 
up  the  Gulf  of  California,  exploring  the  coast,  and  finally 


228  PIONEERS    OP   THE    WEST 

reached  the  mouth  of  the  Colorado  River,  wliich  he 
explored  in  boats  to  a  considerable  distance.^ 

The  following  account  of  his  exploring  trip  is  taken 
from  Coronado's  report  to  the  viceroy  of  Mexico.  It 
is  somewhat  adapted  from  the  original :  — 

The  22d  of  April  last  (1540)  I  left  the  province  of 
Culiacan  with  part  of  the  army.  Thirty  leagues  before  we 
arrived  at  the  place  which  Friar  Marcos  had  told  of,  I 
sent  Diaz  before  with  fifteen  horses,  with  order  to  make 
one  day's  journey,  or  two,  and  to  examine  all  things 
against  my  coming.  He  travelled  five  days'  journey 
through  exceeding  rough  mountains,  where  he  found 
neither  victuals  nor  people  nor  information  of  any  things, 
save  that  he  found  two  or  three  poor  little  villages,  con- 
taining twenty  or  thirty  cottages  apiece,  and  from  the 
inhabitants  thereof  he  understood  that  thenceforward 
there  was  nothing  but  exceeding  rough  mountains, 
which  ran  very  far,  utterly  uninhabited  and  void  of 
people. 

It  grieved  the  whole  company  that  a  thing  so  highly 
praised  and  so  much  bragged  about  by  the  Friar  Marcos 
should  be  found  so  contrary,  and  it  made  them  susj^ect 
that  all  the  rest  would  fall  out  in  the  same  sort.  But 
I  sought  to  encourage  them  and  to  fix  their  thoughts 
upon  the  seven  cities  and  other  provinces  of   which  we 

1  AVinsor,  Vol.  IT,  p.  481. 


COKONADO'S   EXPLORING    TRIP    IX    THE   SOUTHWEST      229 

had  knowledge  ;  and  with  this  purpose  we  all  marched 
cheerfully  through  a  very  bad  way,  which  was  not  pass- 
able but  one  by  one,  contrary  to  the  report  of  the  friar 
that  the  way  was  plain  and  good.  These  are  in  truth 
mountains  which,  although  the  way  were  well  mended, 
could  not  be  passed  without  danger  of  breaking  the 
horses'  necks.  And  the  way  was  such  that  of  the 
cattle  which  your  Lordship  sent  us,  for  the  provision  of 
our  army,  we  lost  a  great  part  on  the  journey,  through 
the  roughness  of  the  rocks.  The  lambs  and  sheep  lost 
then-  hoofs  in  the  way,  and  of  those  which  I  brought 
from  Culiacan,  I  left  the  greater  part  at  the  River  of 
Lachimi,  because  they  could  not  keep  company  with 
us  and  because  they  might  come  softly  after  us.  Four 
men  on  horseback  remained  with  them  and  have  brought 
not  more  than  four  and  twenty  lambs  and  four  sheep; 
for  all  the  rest  were  dead  with  travelling  through  the 
rough  passage,  although  they  travelled  liut  two  leagues 
a  day. 

At  length  I  arrived  at  the  valley  of  the  people  called 
Caracones  the  26th  of  May.  From  Culiacan,  until  I  came 
thither,  I  could  not  help  myself  save  only  with  a  great 
quantity  of  maize.  For  seeing  that  the  maize  in  the 
fields  was  not  yet  ripe,  I  was  forced  to  leave  it  all  be- 
hind me.  In  this  valley  of  the  Caracones  we  found  more 
people  than  in  any  other  part  and  great  store  of  tillage. 


230  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

But  I  understood  there  was  store  thereof  in  another 
valley  called  the  Lord's  Valley,  which  I  would  not  disturb 
with  force,  but  sent  thither  Diaz,  with  wares  of  exchange 
to  procure  some,  and  to  give  said  maize  to  the  Indians, 
our  friends,  which  we  brought  with  us,  and  to  some  others 
who  had  lost  their  cattle  in  the  way  and  were  not  able 
to  carry  their  victuals  so  far  from  Culiacan.  It  pleased 
God  that  we  got  some  small  quantity  of  maize  with  this 
traffic,  whereby  certain  Indians  were  relieved  and  some 
Spaniards. 

By  the  time  we  came  to  this  valley  some  ten  or  twelve 
of  our  horses  were  dead  through  weariness,  for  being 
overcharged  with  great  burdens  and  having  but  little  to 
eat,  they  could  not  endure  the  labor.  Likewise  some  of 
our  negroes  and  some  of  our  Indians  died  here,  which 
was  no  small  want  unto  us  for  the  performance  of  our 
enterprise.  We  were  told  that  this  region  is  five  days' 
journey  from  the  western  sea. 

I  departed  from  the  Caracones  and  always  kept  the 
seacoast  as  near  as  I  could,  and  yet  in  very  deed  still  found 
myself  farther  off,  so  that  when  I  arrived  at  Chichilticale, 
I  found  myself  ten  days  from  the  sea,  as  the  coast  there 
bends  toward  the  west. 

I  rested  myself  two  days  at  Chichilticale  and  should 
have  stayed  longer,  but  because  we  wanted  victuals,  we 
had  no  leisure  to  rest  further.     I  entered  the  confines  of 


CORONxVDO's    EXPLORING    TRIP    IN    THE    SOUTHWEST      231 

the  desert  on  St.  John's  eve,  but  found  not  only  no  grass 
but  a  worse  mountain  way  and  worse  passages  than  before, 
and  the  horses  being  tired,  we  were  greatly  molested  there- 
witli,  so  that  in  this  last  desert  we  lost  more  horses  than 
before.  Some  of  our  friendly  Indians  died,  and  also  a 
Spaniard,  Spinoza,  and  two  negroes,  which  died  with  eat- 
ing certain  herbs  for  lack  of  victuals.  From  this  place  I 
sent  before  me  for  one  day's  journey  the  field  master, 
Don  Garcias,  with  fifteen  horses,  to  explore  the  country, 
and  he  failed  not  to  do  his  part,  for  it  is  a  most  wicked 
way,  at  least  thirty  leagues  or  more  through  pathless 
mountains. 

But  after  we  passed  these  thirty  leagues,  we  found 
fresh  rivers  and  grass  like  that  of  Castile,  and  many  nut 
trees  and  mulberry  trees.  And  there  was  flax,  chiefly 
near  the  banks  of  a  certain  river,  which  we  called  the 
River  of  Flax.  We  found  no  Indians  at  all  for  a  day's 
journey,  but  afterward  four  Indians  came  out  to  us  in  a 
peaceable  manner,  saying  that  they  were  sent  to  that 
desert  place  to  show  us  that  we  were  ^^■elcorae,  and  that 
the  next  day  all  the  people  would  come  out  on  the  way 
to  meet  us  with  victuals. 

Whereupon  I  went  unto  them  and  gave  them  beads 
and  certain  sliort  cloaks,  wishing  them  to  return  to  their 
city,  and  bidding  them  to  stay  quiet  in  their  houses,  and 
fear  notliing.      This   done,   I   sent    the    field    master   to 


232  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

find  whether  there  were  any  bad  passage,  which  the 
Indians  might  keep  against  us,  so  that  he  might  take 
and  defend  any  such  passage  until  the  next  day  when  I 
should  come  thither.  So  he  went  and  found  in  the  way 
a  very  bad  passage,  where  we  might  have  suffered  very 
great  harm.  There  he  seated  himself  with  his  company, 
and  that  very  night  the  Indians  came  to  take  that  passage 
to  defend  it,  and  finding  it  taken,  they  assaulted  our  men 
there.  But  the  field  master  was  watchful  and  they  soon 
fled  away,  doing  no  harm  to  the  Spaniards. 

The  next  day,  in  the  best  order  I  could,  I  departed  in 
so  great  want  of  victual  that  I  thought,  if  we  shoidd  stay 
one  day  longer  without  food,  we  should  all  perish  of  hun- 
ger, for  among  us  all  we  had  not  two  bushels  of  corn. 
Wherefore  it  behoved  me  to  push  forward  without  delay. 
The  Indians  here  and  there  had  made  fires  and  were 
answered  again  afar  off  as  orderly  as  we  ourselves  could 
have  done,  to  give  their  fellows  understanding  how  we 
marched  and  where  we  arrived. 

As  soon  as  I  came  in  sight  of  this  city,  which  I  called 
Granada,  T  sent  Don  Garcias  and  others,  w^ith  some  horse- 
men, to  seek  out  the  Indians  and  tell  them  that  our  com- 
ing was  not  to  hurt  them,  but  to  defend  them  in  the  name 
of  the  Emperor  our  Lord,  which  message  was  delivered 
to  them.  But  they,  like  arrogant  people,  made  small 
account  thereof,  because  we  seemed  very  few  in  their  eyes. 


CORONAUO'S    EXPLORING    TRIP    IN    THE    SOUTHWEST       233 

and  tliey  might  destroy  us  without  any  difficulty,  and 
they  struck  Friar  Luys  on  the  gown  with  an  arrow,  which 
by  the  grace  of  God  did  him  no  harm. 

In  the  meantime  I  arrived  with  all  the  rest  of  the 
horsemen  and  footmen  and  found  in  the  field  a  great  host 
of  Indians  which  began  to  shoot  at  us  with  their  arrows. 


An  Indian  Village,  or  Pueblo 

And  because  I  would  obey  your  will,  I  would  not  let  my 
people  charge  them,  forbidding  my  company,  which  en- 
treated me  that  they  might  set  upon  them,  in  any  wise  to 
provoke  them,  saying  that  which  they  did  was  noth- 
ing, and  that  it  was  not  meet  to  set  upon  so  few  people. 
On  the  other  side,  the  Indians  perceiving  that  we  stirred 
not,  took  great  stomach  and  courage  unto  them,  insomuch 
that  they  came  hard  to  our  horses'  heels  to  shoot  at  us 


234  PIONEERS   OF   THE    WEST 

with  their  arrows.  Whereupon,  seeing  that  it  was  now 
time  to  stay  no  longer,  and  the  friars  were  of  the  same 
opinion,  I  set  upon  them  without  any  danger,  for  suddenly 
they  fled,  part  to  the  city  which  was  near  and  well  for- 
tified, and  part  to  the  field,  whichever  way  they  could 
shift.  And  some  of  the  Indians  were  slain  and  more  had 
been  if  I  had  suffered  them  to  have  been  pursued. 

But  considering  that  "hereof  we  might  reap  but  small 
profit,  because  the  Indians  that  were  without  were  few, 
and  those  in  the  city  were  many,  where  the  victuals  were, 
whereof  we  had  so  great  need,  I  assembled  my  people  and 
divided  them  as  I  thought  best  to  assault  the  city.  I 
compassed  it  about  and  because  the  famine  we  suffered 
permitted  no  delay,  myself,  with  certain  of  these  gentle- 
men and  soldiers,  put  ourselves  on  foot  and  commanded 
that  the  crossbows  and  arquebusiers  should  give  the 
assault  and  should  beat  the  enemies  from  the  walls  on  one 
side  where  they  told  me  there  was  a  scaling  ladder  set  up 
and  that  there  was  a  gate.  But  the  crossbowmen  sud- 
denly broke  the  strings  of  their  bows,  and  the  arquebusiers 
did  nothing  at  all ;  for  they  came  thither  so  weak  and 
feeble  that  scarcely  could  they  stand  on  their  feet. 
By  this  means  the  people  that  were  left  on  the  walls 
to  defend  the  town  were  no  way  hindered  from  doing 
us  all  the  mischief  they  could.  Twice  they  struck  me  to 
the  ground  with  an  infinite  number  of  great  stones,  which 


COKONADO'S    EXPLORING    TRIP    IN   THE    SOUTHWEST      235 

they  hurled  clown ;  and  if  I  had  not  been  defended  with 
an  excellent  good  head  piece,  which  I  wear,  I  think  it  had 
gone  hardly  with  me.  Nevertheless,  my  company  took 
me  np  with  no  small  wounds  in  the  face,  and  an  arrow 
sticking  in  my  foot,  and  many  blows  with  stones  on  my 
arms  and  legs,  and  thus  I  went  out  of  the  battle  very 
weak. 

I.  think  that  if  Don  Garcias,  the  second  time  they  struck 
me  to  the  ground,  had  not  succored  me  by  striding  over 
me  like  a  good  knight,  I  had  been  in  greater  danger  than 
I  was.  But  it  pleased  God  that  the  Indians  yielded  them- 
selves unto  us,  and  that  this  city  was  taken,  and  such 
store  of  maize  was  found  therein  as  our  necessity  re- 
quired. 

The  captains  of  the  footmen  escaped  with  certain  blows 
with  stones.  One  was  wounded  with  an  arrow,  and  one 
shot  in  the  face  with  another,  and  two  footmen  had 
wounds  with  arrows.  And  because  my  armor  was  gilded 
and  glittering,  they  all  laid  load  on  me,  and  therefore  I 
was  more  wounded  than  the  rest,  not  that  I  did  more  than 
the  rest,  for  all  these  gentlemen  and  soldiers  carried  them- 
selves as  manfully  as  was  looked  for  at  their  hands. 
Three  horses  were  slain  and  others  wounded. 

It  now  remains  to  certify  your  Honor  of  the  seven  cities 
and  of  the  kingdoms  and  provinces,  whereof  the  Father 
Provincial    (Marcos)    made   report   unto    your    Lordship. 


236 


PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 


And  to  be  brief,  I  can  assure  your  Honor  he  said  the 
truth  in  nothing  he  reported,  but  all  was  quite  contrary, 
save  only  the  names  of  the  cities  and  great  houses  of  stone. 
For,  although  they  are  not  wrought  with  turquoise,  nor 


The  Doorway 


with  lime  nor  bricks,  yet  are  they  very  excellent  good 
houses  of  three,  or  four,  or  five  lofts  high,  wherein  are 
good  lodgings  and  fair  chambers,  with  ladders  instead  of 
stairs,  and  certain  cellars  under  the  ground,  very  good  and 
paved,  which  are  made  for  winter.  And  the  ladders 
which  they  have  for  their   houses  are  all  in  a  manner 


COROXADO'S   EXPLORING    TRIP   IX    THE   SOUTHWEST      237 

movable  and  portable,  which  are  taken  away  and  set  down 
when  they  please,  and  they  are  made  of  two  pieces  of 
wood  with  steps,  as  ours  be. 

The  seven  cities  are  seven  small  towms,  all  made  with 
this  kind  of  houses  that  I  speak  of,  and  they  are  called 
the  Kingdom  of  Cibola,  and  every  one  has  its  particular 
name  but  all  together  they  are  called  Cibola.  And  this 
town,  which  I  call  a  City,  I  have  named  Granada. 

In  this  town  where  I  now  remain,  there  may  be  some 
two  hundred  houses,  all  compassed  with  walls,  and  I  think 
that,  with  the  rest  of  the  houses  which  are  not  so  walled, 
there  may  be  together  five  hundred. 

The  people  of  this  town  seem  to  me  of  a  reasonable 
stature  and  breadth.  Yet  they  seem  not  to  be  such  as 
they  should  be,  of  that  judgment  and  wit,  to  build  these 
houses  in  such  sort  as  they  are.  They  go  nearly  naked, 
and  wear  such  painted  mantles  as  I  send  your  Lordship. 
They  have  no  cotton  wool  growing,  because  the  country  is 
cold,  yet  they  wear  mantles  thereof,  as  your  Honor  may 
see.  And  true  it  is,  that  there  was  found  in  their  houses 
certain  yarn  made  of  cotton  wool. 

I  found  no  women  here,  nor  youth  under  fifteen  years 
old,  nor  old  folks  above  sixty,  saving  two  or  three  old 
folks  who  stayed  behind  to  govern  all  the  rest  of  the 
youth  and  men  of  war. 

We  found  here  two  points  of  emeralds  and  stones  of 


238  PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEST 

crystal.  We  found  here  also,  Guinea  cocks,  but  few. 
The  Indians  tell  me  that  in  all  the  seven  cities  they 
eat  tliem  not,  but  keep  them  only  for  their  feathers.  I 
believe  them  not,  for  they  are  excellent  good  and  greater 
than  those  of  Mexico. 

The  season  in  this  country  and  the  temperature  of  the 
air  are  like  those  of  Mexico,  for  sometimes  it  is  hot,  some- 
times it  raineth.  The  snow  and  cold  are  wont  to  be  great, 
for  so  say  the  people,  and  this  is  likely,  both  from  the 
nature  of  the  country,  and  from  their  furs  and  other 
things  which  they  have  to  defend  them  from  the  cold. 
There  is  most  excellent  grass  within  a  quarter  of  a  league 
hence,  both  for  pasture  and  to  mow  and  make  hay ; 
whereof  we  stood  in  great  need,  for  our  horses  came 
hither  so  weak  and  feeble. 

The  victuals  which  the  people  of  this  country  have  are 
maize,  in  great  store,  also  small  white  peas,  and  venison 
which  they  probably  feed  upon  (though  they  say  no).  For 
we  found  many  kinds  of  deer,  hare,  and  cony.  They  eat 
the  best  cakes  that  ever  I  saw  and  everybody  generally 
eateth  of  them.  They  have  the  finest  order  and  way  to 
grind  that  we  ever  saw  in  any  place.  One  Indian  woman 
in  this  country  will  grind  as  much  as  four  women  of 
Mexico.  They  have  most  excellent  salt  in  kernel,  which 
they  fetch  from  a  certain  lake  a  day's  journey  hence. 
They  have  no  knowledge  among  them  of  the  North  Sea 


COKONADO'S    EXPLORING   TRIP    IN    THE   SOUTHWEST      239 

nor  of  the  western  sea,  and  at  the  least  I  think  I  am  a 
hundred  and  fifty  leagues  from  thence  and  the  northern 
sea  should  be  nmch  farther  off.  Your  Lordship  may  see 
how  broad  the  land  is  here. 

Here  are  many  sorts  of  beasts,  as  bears,  tigers,  lions, 
and  certain  sheep  as  big  as  a  horse,  with  very  great 
horns  and  little  tails.  I  have  seen  horns  so  big  that  it 
is  a  wonder  to  behold  their  greatness.  Here  are,  also, 
wild  goats  whose  heads  I  have  seen  and  the  paws  of 
bears  and  the  skins  of  wild  boars. 

Three  days  after  this  city  was  taken,  certain  Indians 
of  these  people  came  to  offer  me  peace  and  brought 
me  certain  turquoises  and  bad  mantles.  I  received 
them  in  his  Majesty's  name,  with  all  the  good  speeches 
I  could  devise,  saying  that  the  purpose  of  my  coming 
into  this  country  in  the  name  of  his  Majesty  and  by 
the  command  of  your  Lordship,  was  that  they  and  all 
the  rest  of  the  people  of  this  province  should  become 
Christians  and  should  know  the  true  God  for  their  Lord, 
and  receive  his  Majesty  for  their  Lord  and  Sovereign. 
And  herewith  they  returned  to  their  houses.  And, 
suddenly,  the  next  day,  they  set  in  order  all  their 
goods  and  substance,  their  women  and  children,  and  fled 
to  the  hills,  leaving  their  towns,  as  it  were,  abandoned. 
Upon  seeing  this,  I  went  to  a  neighboring  city  but 
found  few  of  them. 


240  PIONEERS   OF    THE   WEST 

After  this  an  old  man  came,  which  said  he  was  their 
Lord,  with  whom  I  reasoned.  Three  days  after,  he  and 
other  chiefs  came  to  me  bringing  mantles  and  turquoises. 
I  advised  them  to  come  down  from  their  holds  and  re- 
turn with  their  wives  and  children  to  their  houses  and 
to  become  Christians.  But  even  yet  they  kept  in  their 
strongholds  their  women  and  children  and  all  the  goods 
which  they  have.  At  my  command,  they  painted  me 
two  mantles,  one  of  their  beasts  and  one  of  their  birds 
and  fishes,  which  I  send  you. 

That  which  these  Indians  worship  as  far  as  hitherto 
we  can  learn,  is  the  ivater,  for  they  say  it  causeth  their 
corn  to  grow  and  maintaineth  their  life,  and  that  they 
know  no  other  reason  but  that  their  ancestors  did  so. 

They  tell  me  of  seven  cities  which  are  far  distant 
from  this  place,  which  are  like  unto  these,  though  they 
have  not  houses  like  unto  these,  but  they  are  of  earth 
and  small,  and  that  among  them  much  cotton  is  gath- 
ered.    The  chief  of  these  towns,  they  say,  is  called  Tucano. 

(The  remainder  of  this  history  is  taken  from  the 
account  given  by  Francis  Lopez  de  Gomara  in  Ilakluyfs 
Voyages.) 

Because  the  Spaniards  would  not  return  to  Mexico  with- 
out doing  something,  nor  with  empty  hands,  they  agreed 
to  pass  farther  into  the  country  which  was  told  to  be 
better  and  better. 


CORONADO'S    EXPLORING    TRIP   IN    THE   SOUTHWEST      241 

After  five  clays'  travel  Alvarado,  who  had  been  sent 
forward  with  twenty  men,  came  to  a  village  called 
Acuco,  situated  on  a  precipitous  cliff  so  high  that  an 
arquebus-ball  could  scarcely  reach  the  top.  The  only 
approach  to  it  was  by  an  artificial  stairway  cut  in  the 
rock,  of  more  than  three  hundred  steps,  and  for  the 
last  eighteen  feet  there  were  only  holes,  iifto  which  to 
insert  the  toes.  (This  is  now  identified  with  the  modern 
pueblo  of  Acoma.)  By  showing  a  bold  front,  friendlj' 
relations  were  established  with  the  inhabitants  of  this 
formidable  stronghold,  who  numbered  some  two  hundred 
fighting  men,  and  a  large  supply  of  provisions  was  re- 
ceived from  them.  Three  days'  further  march  brought 
them  to  a  province  called  Tiguex  containing  twelve 
villages,  situated  on  the  banks  of  a  great  river.  (Prob- 
ably the  Rio  Grande  near  Bernallilo.) 

In  four  days  more  Alvarado  came  to  Cicuye  "which 
he  found  to  be  a  strongly  fortified  village  of  four-story, 
terraced  houses,  built  around  a  large  square.  It  was  also 
protected  by  a  low  stone  wall,  and  was  capable  of  putting 
five  hundred  warriors  in  the  field."  ^ 

From  Cibola,  Dun  Garcias,  with  his  company  of  horse- 
men, went  toward  the  sea  (northwest).  (This  party,' as 
described  in  Winsor,  passed  northward,  first  to  Tusayan, 
a  town  previously  subdued  by  the  Spaniard,  then  marched 

1  "Winsor.  Vol.  TI.  pp.  487-488. 


2^2 


PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 


twenty  days  through  the  desert.)  "  They  came  to  the 
banks  of  a  river  which  seemed  to  them  to  be  elevated 
three  or  four  leagues  in  the  air.  So  steep  were  these 
banks  that  it  was  impossible  to  descend  to  the  water 
which  appeared  so  far  away  as  to  seem  to  be  only  an 
arm's  length  in  width,  and  yet  guides  assured  them  that 


it  was  over'  half  a  league  broad. 


Although  it  was  sum- 


A  View  in  the  Colorado  Canon 

mer  time,  it  was  quite  cold  and  the  country  was  covered 
with  a  growth  of  stunted  pines.  For  three  days  they 
followed  the  bank  in  search  of  a  passage ;  and  some 
volunteers  who  made  the  attempt,  returned  with  the 
report  that  they  had  been  able  to  accomplish  a  third  of 
the  descent,  and  that  rocks  tbat  had  seemed  scarcely 
as  high  as  a  man,  were  found  to  be  loftier  than  the 
towers  of  Seville  cathedral.  For  three  or  four  days  they 
continued  on,  but  at  length  were  forced  to  return  by  want 


CORONADO'S   EXPLORING   TRIP   IN    THE   SOUTHWEST      248 

of  water,  which  they  had  been  obliged  to  seek  for,  every 
night,  a  league  or  two  back  from  the  river,  and  retraced 
their  steps  to  Cibola."  ^  (This  is  a  record  of  the  dis- 
covery by  white  men  of  the  Grand  Cailon  of  the  Colorado.) 

Coronado  went  (eastward)  to  Tiguex  which  standeth 
on  the  bank  of  a  great  river.  Hearing  of  a  rich  country 
beyond,  he  decided  to  go  thither,  with  determination  to 
winter  in  so  rich  a  region.  (One  night  the  Indians  ran 
away  and  in  the  morning  the  Spaniards  found  thirty 
horses  dead,  which  put  the  army  in  fear.  In  their  jour- 
ney they  burnt  a  town,  and  in  another  town  which 
they  assaulted,  certain  Spaniards  were  killed  and  fifty 
horses  wounded.) 

Our  people  laid  siege  to  the  town  but  could  not  take 
it  in  more  than  five  and  forty  days'  S23ace.  The  towns- 
men that  were  besieged,  drank  snow  instead  of  water; 
on  seeing  themselves  forlorn,  they  made  a  fire  wherein 
they  cast  their  mantles,  feathers,  turquoises,  and  precious 
things,  that  those  strangers  might  not  enjoy  them.  They 
issued  out  in  a  squadron,  with  their  women  and  children 
in  the  midst,  to  make  way  by  force  and  to  save  them- 
selves. But  few  escaped  the  edge  of  our  swords  and  the 
horses,  and  a  certain  river  which  was  near  the  town. 
Seven  Spaniards  were  slain  in  this  conflict  and  four  score 
were  wounded,  and   many  horses ;   whereljy  a  man  may 

1  Winsor,  Vol.  11,  pp.  484-485. 


244 


PIONEERS    OF   THE   WEvST 


see  of  what  force  resolution  is  in  necessity.  Many  Indians 
returned  to  the  town  w'ith  tiie  women  and  children  until 
our  men  set  fire  on  the  town. 

In  this  country  there  are  melons  and  white  and  red 
cotton,  whereof  they  make  larger  mantles  than  are  made 
in  the  other  parts  of  the  Indies. 

From  Tiguex  they  went  on  four  days'  journey  to  Cicuic, 
a  small  tow^n.     (This  is  near  the  present  site  of  Santa  Fe, 

in  New  Mexico.) 
Four  days  thence 
they  met  with  a 
new  kind  of  oxen, 
wild  and  fierce, 
whereof  the  first 
day  they  killed 
four  score,  which 
sufficed  tlie  army 
with  flesh. 

From  Cicuic  they  went  to  Quivira,  which,  after  their 
account,  is  almost  three  hundred  leagues  distant,  through 
mighty  plahis  and  sandy  heaths,  so  smooth  and  w^eari- 
some  and  bare  of  wood  and  stones.  All  that  way  the 
plains  were  as  full  of  crook-backed  oxen  as  the  moun- 
tains of  Serena  in  Spain  are  of  sheep.  They  were  a 
great  succor  for  the  hunger  and  want  of  bread  which 
our  people  stood  in. 


The  Supposed  Biffalo 


CORONADO'S    EXPLOKING    TRIP   IN    THE   SOUTHWEST      245 

One  day  it  rained  in  that  plain  a  great  shower  of  hail, 
as  Ijig  as  oranges,  which  caused  many  tears,  weakness, 
and  vows. 

An  Indian  guide  whom  the  Spaniards  named  the 
"  Tm"k "  told  them  wonderful  stories  of  the  city  of 
Quivira  situated  toward  the  northeast  and  of  its  great 
riches.  Under  his  guidance  the  army  wandered  twenty- 
five  days  northward.  Finding  that  he  had  been  deceived 
by  the  "  Turk,"  and  that  his  army  was  short  of  pro- 
visions, Coronado  took  thirty  of  his  best  mounted  horse- 
men and  pushed  forward,  leaving  the  army  to  return  to 
Tiguex. 

Coronado  marched  for  thirty  days  in  a  northerly  direc- 
tion and  reached  a  laro-e  river  which  he  named  for  the 
saints,  Peter  and  Paul.  DiU'ing  the  march  the  party  lived 
on  bison  flesh  and  even  drank  the  milk.  They  followed 
the  river  northeasterly  a  numl^er  of  days  till  they  reached 
some  villages.  About  forty-five  days  after  leaving  his 
army^  Coronado  came  to  the  village  of  Quivira.  Instead 
of  finding  this  a  great  city  of  stone  houses,  Coronado 
was  deeply  disappointed  to  find  only  a  village  of  straw 
huts  and  the  people  the  most  savage  he  had  met.  The 
"  Turk  "  was  j)unished  with  death  for  his  lies. 

At  Quivira,  they  found  a  chief,  Tatatrax,  whom  they 
sought,  a  hoary-headed  man,  with  a  jewel  of  copper 
hanging  at  his  neck,  which  was  all  his  riches. 


246  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

The  Spaniards,  seeing  the  false  report  of  so  famous 
riches,  returned  to  Tiguex.  Here  Coronado  fell  from  his 
horse  and  lost  his  wits  and  became  mad,  which  some 
took  to  be  for  grief,  and  others  thought  it  to  be  but 
counterfeited,  for  they  were  much  offended  with  him 
because  he  peopled  not  the  country. 

(On  his  return  to  Tiguex,  Coronado  wintered  and  was 
preparing  for  further  exploration  of  the  country,  still 
hoping  to  find  the  rich  cities  and  provinces  al^out  which 
so  many  extravagant  stories  had  been  told.  But  after 
his  fall  from  the  horse,  both  he  and  his  soldiers  became 
discouraged  and  anxious  to  return  to  Mexico.  Coronado 
was  very  much  beloved  by  his  men  because  he  took  so 
good  care  of  them  and  shared  their  dangers  and  hard- 
ships. The  army  retreated  first  to  Cibola  and  then  to 
Chichilticale.  But  the  discipline  of  his  force  was  de- 
stroyed, so  that  Coronado  lost  control  and  brought  back 
to  Mexico  only  one  hundred  men.) 

It  grieved  Mendoza  (the  viceroy  of  Mexico)  very  much 
that  the  army  returned  home,  for  he  had  spent  above 
three  score  thousand  pesos  (dollars)  of  gold  in  the  enter- 
prise and  owed  a  great  part  thereof  still.  Many  sought 
to  have  dwelt  there  (in  the  new  country),  but  Coronado, 
who  was  rich  and  lately  married  to  a  fair  wife,  would 
not  consent,  saying  that  they  could  not  maintain  nor 
defend  themselves  in  so  poor  a  country  and  so  far  from 


COKONADO'S   EXPLOKING    TIIIP    IN   THE   SOUTHWEST      247 


succor.     They  had  travelled  above  nine  hundred  leagues 
in  this  country. 

All  the  way  between  Cicuic  and  Quivira  is  a  most 
plain  soil  without  trees  and  stones,  and  but  few  and 
small  towns.  The  men  clothe  and  shoe  themselves 
with  leather,  and  the  women,  which  are  esteemed  for 
their  long  locks,  cover  their  heads  and  waists  with  the 
same.      They  have  no   bread  of  any  kind,  as  they  say, 


The  Real  Buffalo 

which  I  account  a  great  matter.  Their  chiefest  food  is 
flesh,  and  that  oftentimes  they  eat  raw.  They  eat  the 
fat  as  they  take  it  out  of  the  ox,  and  drink  the  blood. 
These  oxen  are  of  the  bigness  and  color  of  our  bulls,  but 
their  horns  are  not  so  great.  They  have  a  great  bunch 
upon  their  fore  shoulders,  and  more  hair  on  their  fore  part 
than  on  their  hinder  part :  and  it  is  like  wool.  They 
have,  as  it  were,  an  horse  mane  upon  their  backbone,  and 


248  PIONEERS    OF   THE    WEST 

much  hair  and  very  long  from  their  knees  downward. 
They  have  great  tufts  of  hair  hanging  down  their  fore- 
heads, and  it  seemeth  that  they  have  beards,  because  of 
the  great  store  of  hair  hanging  down  at  their  chins  and 
throats.  The  males  have  very  long  tails  and  a  great  knob 
or  floch  at  the  end,  so  that  in  some  respect  they  resemble 
the  lion,  and  in  some  other  the  camel.  They  push  witli 
their  horns,  they  run,  they  overtake  and  kill  a  horse,  when 
they  are  in  their  rage  and  anger.  Finally,  it  is  a  foul  and 
fierce  beast  of  countenance  and  form  of  body.  The  horses 
fled  from  them  either  because  of  their  deformed  shape  or 
else  because  they  had  never  seen  them. 

Their  masters  have  no  other  riches  nor  substance:  of 
them  they  eat,  they  drink,  they  apparel,  they  shoe  them- 
selves, and  of  their  hides  they  make  many  things,  as 
shoes,  apparel,  and  ropes.  Of  their  bones  they  make  bod- 
kins ;  of  their  sinews  and  hair,  threads ;  of  their  horns 
and  bladders,  vessels ;  of  their  calves'  skins,  vessels 
wherein  they  draw  and  keep  water.  To  be  short,  they 
make  so  many  things  of  them  as  they  have  need  of. 

There  are  also  in  this  country  other  beasts  as  big  as 
horses  which,  because  they  have  horns  and  fine  wool,  they 
call  them  sheep,  and  every  horn  of  them  weighs  fifty 
pounds. 


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cipal of  Northeast  School,  Hartford,  Conn. 


THE    MACMILLAN    COMPANY 

66  FIFTH  AVENUE,  NEW  YORK 


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yC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


AA    000  931  120 


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